In Bloom
by elmonkito397
Summary: Clary walked in to see a sight she never thought she'd see: Jace, gravely wounded on the kitchen floor. Now he's gone, and Clary finds herself in a tough situation.
1. Chapter 1: Pain

Clary sat on the edge of the stair, her face in her palms. She tried to hold back the sobs, but they pushed their way through her lips anyways. Her body shuddered, and she hugged her knees. She had never felt so alone in her life. Not to mention so cold. She wished Simon were here. He had always comforted her when she was sad. He was always the one to hold her close when she cried, stroking her hair until she calmed down. At least it had been him until Jace had come along.

At the thought of his name, Clary let go another round of tears. She couldn't bear to think of him like that, lifeless and cold on the floor of the kitchen.

She had found him there when she got home, the knife impaled through his chest, right on the spot where his heart should have beaten. She had called Isabelle first, and then 911. Izzy had gotten there first, of course. She had said that Jace still had a pulse, which caused Clary's heart to skip a beat involuntarily. But now, as she watched the men in white take his covered body away, it felt as if her heart had stopped.

There had been another moment in Clary's life when she thought Jace was dead. The only thing that had kept her from killing herself then was the fate of every other person she loved. She had to push through, but only because there was a life other than hers at stake. Now, she thought, it would be so easy to tie a rope, or swallow a few too many pills…

"Clary?" Isabelle stood in the doorframe that led from the front entrance to the Institute's kitchen. The flickering light of the candles cast shadows under her eyes, making her look several years older than she actually was. That and her seven inch stiletto heels. Even in a time of despair Isabelle still found the time to look fabulous. Clary almost smiled.

Isabelle slid onto the stair beside Clary, tugging her skirt down as she did. She stroked Clary's fiery red hair with a dainty finger. "Everything's going to be okay." _Right…_ Clary thought. _Like I haven't heard that one before…_ As if reading her thoughts, Isabelle smiled. "I know right now it might not seem like it, but Jace has always been a fighter. Even before he met you, he was never one to back down or give up. And now that he has you in his life, he has even more reason. You are his motivation, Clary. You make him strong. He would never leave you. I'm sure he's thinking about you right now."

Clary sighed. She knew Jace cared about her; he never passed up the chance to let her know how beautiful she was. But did he love her? Sure he had kissed her, caressed her, whispered things in her ear. But ever since they had slept together two weeks ago, he had become distant and withdrawn. Clary had begun to wonder if that was all he wanted, if he was only with her for sex. She shivered at the thought.

Isabelle took this as a sign of her being cold. "Why don't I go upstairs and get you a blanket? The heater's down, so it's probably better if we dress warm." She squeezed Clary's arm and got up off the stair. As she rounded the corner, Clary could see the glint of a single tear running down her cheek.

Maybe Isabelle wasn't as composed as Clary had thought. But then again, Jace was her brother. If anyone had a right to be sad right now, it was Isabelle. Rubbing her eyes, Clary stood up. A wave of nausea racked her body as she did, and she doubled over onto the tile. Clutching her stomach, she felt the bile rise in her throat. With a groan, she stood up and raced to the bathroom, only just making it before her lunch made a reappearance.

"Hello? Clary, is that you in there?" Someone tall peered around the corner. Clary felt her cheeks flush. In her haste, she had forgotten to close the door. "Are you okay? Wait, sorry. That was a stupid question. Do you want me to come in?" It was Alec. He loomed over her, his slender figure blocking out the light from the hall and casting a shadow as dark as his hair onto the bathroom floor.

"No…" Clary whispered, her voice ragged and raspy. "I'm fine. Thanks for caring." Alec was Jace and Isabelle's older brother, and he certainly fit the part. Whenever he sensed that something was wrong, his first instinct was to rush to your side and cuddle you. Sometimes Clary wondered if he was secretly a teddy bear, strong and dependable, always willing to lend a hug.

"Clary," he sighed. "I always care about you. Even though I might not have liked you at first, we're basically family now, and family care about each other." Brushing his hair to the side, Alec stepped into the room. As he did, light illuminated his features. The fluorescents made his dark blue eyes sparkle as if they were round pools of deep ocean water. A dash of glitter was streaked across his left cheek, a clear indicator that he had been with his boyfriend recently.

"Were you with Magnus?" Clary asked as Alec bent down to sit beside her. He chuckled, a deep throaty sound that made Clary want to smile. She might have, if she wasn't so insistent on hiding her emotions. She was still afraid that if she let even a positive feeling show that she would crack into hysteria.

"Actually, yeah. How did you know? Do I reek of _eau de antique_?" Stifling a laugh, Clary shook her head. "You've got a little something on your face." She pointed to her cheek, and he wiped his face with the back of his hand. "Gone?" he asked. Clary nodded. "Yeah. Gone."

The smile on Alec's face faded and was replaced by a look of compassion and understanding. "Look," he said, resting a hand on her shoulder. "If you ever need someone to talk to, I'm here. I've never told anyone this, but a few months ago Magnus was-"

He was cut off by a scream. It was a high pitched soprano that could only belong to one person. They exchanged a worried glance before jumping to their feet. Taking Clary's hand, Alec led her to the stairs. They looked up to see a figure standing in front of the doorway to Clary's bedroom.

"Iz?" Clary called out, her voice quivering slightly as she spoke. "What's wrong?" Isabelle just stood there, unmoving at the top of the stairs. "Isabelle?"

There was no response. Then in one smooth spin, Isabelle turned to stare at Clary. With a look of astonishment on her face, she spoke to Clary in a dull whisper. "Clarissa Fray. I cannot believe you." She held up a package, small and orange in her delicate hand. Clary gasped, realizing what it was. Isabelle only had time to smile before Clary stumbled backwards into Alec's arms. "No…" she breathed. Isabelle grinned, revealing a mouth of perfect teeth. "Oh yes."


	2. Chapter 2: Questions

Clary stood there, her mouth hanging open. Isabelle giggled; a sound not much different from the tinkling of bells. _Evil bells…_ Clary thought to herself.

"Well well well Ms. Fray. You never told me that you-"

"Iz! Not here! Can we talk in private please?" A smirked crept across Isabelle's rosy lips. "Sure Clary. Take all the time you need." With a click of her stilettos, Isabelle twirled around and flounced into Clary's bedroom.

Alec stepped back, allowing Clary to steady herself. "Want to tell me what that was all about?" he said, curiosity blooming in his eyes. Clary shook her head. "It's mind of personal. Girl stuff…you know. Sorry Alec." He smiled like he understood.

"It's cool. I'll be down here…cleaning up the kitchen." Clary winced at his use of the word. He was with no doubt going to clean up the blood on the floor. Jace's blood…

The cold feeling of being utterly alone in the universe inched back into Clary's nerves. She watched Alec go, all the way down the hall until he turned into the kitchen and disappeared. Then, taking a deep breath, she stepped onto the stairs and climbed up to the top floor of the Institute.

As she reached the last stair, Clary noticed Isabelle sitting on the bed, twirling the orange package between her thumb and index finger. Clary pressed her lips together. She was planning on keeping this a secret with Jace. Clearly secrets weren't meant to be kept from Isabelle Lightwood.

With her head down, Clary came into her room and slumped down on the frumpy blue couch. It sagged under her weight, having been around for longer than Clary herself. She sighed, and looked up to meet Isabelle's gaze. "What do you want?"

Isabelle scoffed, her eyes widened in shock. "What do I _want_? I want to know what the scoop is! You had sex with Jace and didn't tell me? What happened to telling each other everything, huh? I told you about Simon at the club on-"

Clary covered her ears, blocking out the rest of Isabelle's story. "Too much information, Iz. And I don't know. I guess it just felt like something I wanted to keep to myself…"

"Why?" Isabelle was clearly unfamiliar with the idea of personal business, but seeing as she had only really been friends with one other girl, that being Clary herself, she was willing to cut her some slack. "Was he…well…insufficient?"

Clary gawked at her friend. Was she seriously asking this? "No…well not in the way you're thinking…" Isabelle continued to pursue the topic. "Oh I see…did he make you do all the work? I hate it when guys insist on being on top-"

"Isabelle! No! It was great and everything…there was nothing I would have changed. I just keep thinking that that was all he wanted from me, that he was only pretending to love me to... well… get in my pants!"

Now it was Isabelle's turn to stare in awe. "You seriously think," she said. "That he didn't love you? Clary, you have got to be kidding me. I saw the way he lit up when you walked in the room. I saw all the times that he touched you, how you were the one thing that made him happy. He was-"

"Stop it." Clary's tone was harsh and unnecessarily sharp. She glared at Isabelle, a reaction that was clearly not intended.

"Pardon me?" Isabelle's eyebrows furrowed into a tight line on her forehead. She was surprised by Clary's sudden outburst; despite the rumors of the tempers of redheads, Clary was fairly mild. "I said _stop it._ Stop talking about him in the past tense, like he's already dead."

Isabelle covered her mouth to hold back a gasp. She hadn't even realized she'd been doing it. She softened her expression, suddenly aware that Clary was crying. Reaching out to her, Isabelle whispered "Look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-" Clary swatted her hand away, leaping off the couch and onto her feet. "Get out! I don't want to see anybody right now, especially you. No offence, but I'm in a really pissy mood. Don't bother me, just leave me alone!"

Too stunned to say anything, Isabelle just nodded and left the room, letting the door click shut behind her. The moment Clary was sure she was gone, she fell to the ground and sobbed. Ragged breaths tore out of her throat, turning it raw and sore. She picked up the orange condom wrapper and threw it in the garbage. Even if Jace _did_ love her, she didn't want to be reminded of him in any way.

Sitting there on the floor, Clary began to feel sick again. _What's wrong with me?_ She wondered. She hadn't been feeling well at all today, but she put it aside as just shock from what had happened to-

She clenched her teeth. She could not think about him right now. Pushing her feelings aside, Clary clambered up onto the bed and tucked the covers over her head. With her knees tucked against her stomach, Clary Fray cried herself to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3: Comfort

A soft knock on her door was what pulled Clary out of her restless sleep. Her dreams had been filled with images of Jace's tortured face, twisted into an expression of pain as he lay motionless on the floor of the kitchen, blood spilling across the checkered tiles.

It had been four days since she found him there like that, and she still hadn't heard any news from the Clave. She also hadn't spoken to Isabelle since then either. She was still too hurt to talk to her. Part of her said that she was shutting Isabelle out because she had offended Clary when she talked about Jace as if he were already gone. But the other part deep inside knew it was because Isabelle reminded Clary of Jace. They were so similar, that sometimes it hurt Clary just to think of her friend.

They were both strong and brave, never worrying before stepping in to fight for those they loved. They were also stunningly attractive, and completely over-protective of Alec, even though he could probably fend for himself in any fight. Though these things were all so similar between the two of them, Clary couldn't help thinking of another similarity between Jace and his adoptive sister: they cared about her.

Nobody but her family had ever given a second thought to Clary's well-being, with the exception of Simon, although he spent so much time at her house with her parents that he may as well have been family anyways. Then she had met the Lightwoods, and everything changed. She suddenly had people that looked out for her, people that had her back in battle, or in just ordinary life. It was a luxury that Clary had never gotten to experience before, and something told her that neither Isabelle nor Jace had gotten it either.

The knock at the door came again, more aggressive this time. Clary lifted her head from the down pillow to look at her clock. The time read 8:16 a.m. Clary wasn't expecting any company for a long time, and Maryse didn't usually come with her breakfast tray until nine thirty. Running a trembling hand through her hair, Clary turned her body to face the door. "Come in, it's unlocked."

The brass knob turned, and Simon stepped through the door. Clary gasped; she hadn't seen him in a while, and she had almost forgotten how attractive this new vampire thing had made him. His jawbone was sharper and more angular than it had been before, making his features seem more shadowy and, dare she say it, masculine. His dark brown hair framed his face, accenting his deep brown eyes beautifully. He smiled when he saw her, exposing his fangs. They always revealed themselves when he was around Clary; she made him happy, simulating the effect of blood and causing his body to go into hunting mode.

Clary's lips curled up into a smile, the first time she had felt them do that in what seemed like forever. "You going to eat me, vampire?" He shook his head, coming to stand at the side of the bed in a fluid motion, almost like he was floating. "No. I already had a couple mailmen for breakfast. Should be good for a few days, at least." he mused, patting his stomach.

Clary smiled again, lifting a hand to his face to trace the lines that formed in creases under his eyes. "I missed you Si" she murmured. Simon took her hand in his, stroking her palm and kissing her fingertips with his cool lips. "I missed you too, Fray."

Clary patted the empty space next to her on the bed, indicating that she wanted him to come sit with her. Within seconds he was there, leaning against the headboard with a smirk. "So eager to get with another man, huh Clare? I would have thought you'd have more class then that." If it was anyone else but Simon, Clary would have slapped him. If not for implying that she was insensitive, but for bringing up the touchy subject of Jace. But, since he was one of the things that had remained constant since her transition to the world of Shadowhunters, she decided not to push him away. Instead, she sighed. "Simon, you know it's not like that with us. You were the one who said it was better if we stayed friends." He nodded, looking into her emerald green eyes. "I know, Fray. I was just screwing with you. You know, you seem a lot moodier these days. What's gotten into you?"

Clary sat up in bed. She opened her mouth to respond when another stab of pain ripped through her body. She covered her mouth, fighting the urge to bend over and retch. Jumping from the bed, Clary dashed into the bathroom, her stomach emptying its contents for a second time that day.

Simon strolled into the room as another pang of nausea sent her gagging and coughing into the toilet. He knelt beside her as if nothing was wrong, holding her long hair back in a bunch. "You know Fray, I'm beginning to think that you're not feeling so good."

Clary snorted, lifting her head to face him. She was feeling a little better now, but still not her hottest. "You think? I thought that puking your guts out and lashing out on the people you love was perfectly normal behaviour!" Seeing the look of surprise on his face, Clary drew away. "Sorry. Like I said, I don't mean to. It's like being thirteen again and having mood swings. I've been all 'teen hormone girl' lately…"

Simon stared blankly off into the distance, his eyes strangely empty. "Clare…" he said, his voice sounding distant and far off, as if he were speaking to her from another dimension, through a body that wasn't quite there but not quite gone either. "Not to pry or anything…but have you and Jace… well… been… er… active lately?"

Clary frowned. "Oh wow Simon. First Izzy, and now you. Does everyone want to know about my sex life? What is it with me and Jace having sex that everyone wants to hear about-"

"That's not why I'm asking." Simon seemed slightly annoyed with her, as if she were missing something that should have been completely obvious, but was somehow slipping by her. "I'm asking," he said, his eyes suddenly back to the present, full of intense worry. "Because I think you might be pregnant."

Clary was speechless. Had she heard him right? Did he seriously think that she was pregnant? Had the world gone crazy? For a moment, she contemplated the idea herself. She had been moody lately, and her vomiting episodes could have easily been morning sickness…

She pushed the idea away immediately. She and Jace had used protection. There was no way that she could be pregnant. Plus the last time they had been together was nearly three weeks ago now. Surely she would have thought of it before.

_Three weeks_? "Simon…" Clary said, her face suddenly pale as snow. "Simon, what day is it today?" He frowned, not understanding where she was going with her statement. He pulled out his iPhone and clicked the lock button. "Uh…it's Wednesday. The 23rd I think. Why?" Clary rubbed her temples, going through the numbers in her head. _Five days, seven days, fourteen days…_ "No…no no no no…"

"Clary, will you please tell me what you're thinking? It's driving me crazy seeing you like this, like, like you're going insane!" Snapping out of her haze, Clary shot up off the ground and into her bedroom. Pulling a purple sweater over her tank top, she glanced at the clock. 8:45. She had about an hour or so before Maryse or one of the others came to check on her.

Buttoning up the clasp on her denim jeans, she turned back to Simon who was now leaning against the doorway. This vampire stealth thing was really starting to get on Clary's nerves. "I'm late Simon. My period is four days late. I haven't missed a cycle since eighth grade."

He stood there, motionless as granite. His eyes flickered slightly as his mind raced, processing the information, and the fact that he had been mostly right about something for once. "So does that mean…"

Clary nodded. Grabbing her keys and her green velvet jacket, she headed for the elevator. "I need you to take me to the drugstore Simon. I think you might be right, but I just need to be sure." He nodded, and pressed the call button. Standing there, Clary felt a sense of dread, followed by a sense of overwhelming confusion. What if she _was_ pregnant? What did that mean for her family, her future? Could she get anything done with a baby? That is if she kept it…

The elevator dinged in front of them, and Clary sighed. She walked in, and leaned against the railing. She let out a shaky breath. Simon looked at her. He smiled, although Clary could tell it was forced. He was as scared as she was. He held out a pale, vein streaked hand, and she took it. Closing her eyes, Clary felt the door shut behind her, as the elevator began to descend into the dark abyss.


	4. Chapter 4: Anticipation

Simon yanked the key out of the ignition, and the van came to a shuddering halt. "We're here" he said, opening his door and stepping out into the sunlight. Clary flinched, although she knew the sun wouldn't hurt him. It was a strange ability for a vampire to have, going out in the sunlight. It defied every myth there was, not to mention every fact his kind had known.

Undoing her seatbelt, Clary opened the passenger door. They were in the parking lot of the local drugstore, the morning sun beating down on the asphalt. Clary's heart was racing, and she took a deep breath to steady herself. Simon was beside her in seconds, his hand on her waist. She took it in her own hand, and he pulled her towards the store.

Stepping through the double doors was like stepping into her worst nightmare. She was instantly afraid of being judged. She wished Jace were there to hold her close and smile down at her, reassuring her that everything was going to be okay, no matter what happened. A pang of guilt stabbed her chest. Jace was tragically injured, maybe even dying, and she was worrying about what other people would think?

Composing her face, she marched into the aisle, grabbed a box of pregnancy tests, and went straight for the register.

The woman behind the counter was reading a STAR magazine, with a picture of Snooki from Jersey Shore on the cover. She looked up as Clary approached, popping a baby pink bubble from her gum. "Can I help you?" she asked, seeming slightly irritated that somebody was here so early in the morning.

"Yes. I'll take this please." It took all of Clary's strength just to keep her hand from trembling as she handed the package to the cashier. _She won't judge you. Just pretend you have Jace beside you._ She looked to her side to see that Simon had returned to her and was staring into her eyes. She squeezed his hand, and turned back to the register.

Nodding, the woman rang up the items, and Clary handed her the money. With the swish of a plastic bag, Clary and Simon exited the store. It was done. "Now let's go home and find out if you're a mom." Simon whispered, opening the passenger door of his band's dirty banana yellow van. She smiled and stepped inside, just as her cell phone buzzed.

Frowning, she pulled it out of her pocket and looked at the screen. It was a number she didn't recognize, but it couldn't hurt to answer the phone. She flipped it open and pressed it to her ear.

"Hello?" There was a faint buzzing sound on the other end, the ambiance of people talking and bustling around in a crowded space.

The voice on the other end spoke, a low male voice. He seemed like he was a professional of sorts, delivering an important message. "Clarissa Fray?" he asked.

"Yes, this is her. May I ask who's speaking?"

The other end went silent for a moment, and Clary heard the rustling of papers. "This is Dr. Vikram. I am a doctor at the Infirmary for wounded Shadowhunters. We were informed that you were the girlfriend of a Mr. Jace Wayland."

Clary's heart fluttered, and Simon's grip tightened on her hand. She fought back tears. "Yes, that's right."

The man on the phone said something to himself, presumably scrawling notes on a pad or something.

"Very well." He said. "We request that you come to the Infirmary of 8th Avenue. Mr. Wayland is awake. And he's asking for you."


	5. Chapter 5: Reunion

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews by the way! It's really great to hear that you guys like it! I hope to get a lot more chapters done after exams, so once summer starts, get ready to be bombarded with parts of the story! Please enjoy **

The van came to a screeching halt in front of the tall brick building. The towering structure shimmered in the sunlight, but not likely due to heat. The place was covered in glamour, Clary could tell by the way its image flickered back and forth between a burned down church to a tall hospital like structure.

Clary raced inside, flinging open the door and nearly causing it to hit Simon as it snapped back into place. He cursed under his breath, but quickly recovered to pursue Clary once again.

At the front desk was a dark skinned man in a white lab coat. Clary tensed, remembering that white was the colour of death in Shadowhunter culture. The man looked up as they approached. He looked first at Simon, and then at Clary. His eyes lit up when he saw her, and he left his spot behind the desk to greet her.

He held out his hand to her. It was rough and covered in calluses; signs of a life of work and labour. She clasped it in hers and shook it firmly. Putting on a fake smile, she looked into his black eyes. "Dr. Vikram?"

He nodded. "And you, I presume, are Ms. Clarissa Fray?" Clary nodded. "Call me Clary." The doctor released her grip and turned to Simon. "Are you a companion of Ms. Clary?" Simon looked once at her, once at the doctor, and then back to the floor. "Yeah. I guess so."

Dr. Vikram nodded as if this was a piece of information he had suspected and needed to take down in a mental note. "Very well. Follow me then."

The doctor led them down a sterile white corridor, the walls covered in doors to operating rooms. Clary wrinkled her nose, smelling the sharp scent of anesthetic and Polysporin. She had always hated hospitals; they reminded her of the time her mother had spent in a coma. It had been one of the roughest months in Clary's life; no matter what she was going through, she always had her mother there to comfort her. With her gone, Clary had felt alone and exposed. She was glad that her mother was in good health now, though she hadn't seen her since she found Jace…

They rounded a corner and came to a white door. "Mr. Wayland is resting in here. You are welcome to go see him; however I can only allow one visitor at a time. Which of you will go first?" Clary glanced over to Simon, who smiled and nodded. "You go ahead. Like I could stop you, anyway." Clary beamed, a tear of happiness rolling down her cheek. She threw her arms around Simon and pulled him close. "I love you." she whispered. He stroked her back and pushed her towards the door. "I know."

Dr. Vikram removed a key from his shirt pocket and inserted it into the lock on the door. It clicked, and he swung the door open to reveal a plain white hospital room. Clary shuddered; all the white in this place was giving her the creeps. She peered inside to see a dull grey dresser, positioned symmetrically beneath a shiny flat screen TV. There were windows on the far side, opening up over a small green park. This was a rare sight for Clary, seeing as there were few trees left in this part of the city. Next to the window was a bed, with cream coloured sheets and a light blue quilt folded at the foot. The bed was atop a pale ivory rug, and had two grey nightstands on each side of it.

No matter how well the room matched, none of the elements compared to the beauty of the figure resting on the mattress. His golden hair glinted in the sunlight, mirroring the amber in his eyes. They sparkled as they fixed on her, illuminating his whole face with a glow that was brighter than any star Clary had seen in the sky. "Jace!" she cried, running to wrap herself in his outstretched arms. He pulled her to him, breathing in her scent. She buried her face in his neck and let all her tears flow. They soaked the shoulders of his white cotton shirt, making it transparent to show the dark runes that covered his perfectly tanned skin.

They stayed like that for a few moments, taking in each other's presence. It was Jace who spoke first. "Are you okay?" Clary nearly laughed out loud. "I found you lying on the floor, in a pool of your own blood, unconscious with a knife stuck in your chest, and you're asking _me_ if _I'm_ okay?" He chuckled, causing his chest to rise and fall against her face. "I guess it seems a little outrageous, doesn't it?"

Clary pulled back, getting a better view of her lover. He was smiling up at her, a white scar smeared across his otherwise spotless chin. There were faded marks of purple bruises up along his neck, but other than that he was good as new. Clary let out a sob, causing Jace to frown. "Did I say something wrong?"

Clary shook her head. "No. It's just… there was a moment when I thought you were dead. Several moments, actually. I haven't let myself think about you for the last four days, and now you're here with me, safe and sound. I just…" She cut herself off, laughing and crying all at once. Jace breathed softly, touching a hand to her cheek. Clary felt as if her heart was about to melt. Having him here next to her, unharmed, was more than she could ever have hoped for.

She suddenly felt an overwhelming passion rise up over the sadness and relief. This was the man she loved. She shouldn't have to hold back… Clary lifted her head and grinned. Jace looked almost confused as she bent down and softly touched her lips to his. He reached up and cupped her face in his hands, returning her kiss with equal softness. Jace's mouth was sweet and tender against Clary's, and she sighed as he moved his hands down to her sides. With a giggle that was almost inaudible, she lowered herself so that she was pressed against him.

She could feel him smile as she kissed him, slipping her hands under his back. She ran them up his shirt, gripping his back with her small hands. With a start Jace sat upright, his shirt falling back down to his waist as he did. Clary drew back and looked into his eyes. "Just readjusting. Don't worry about me…" he mumbled, pressing his lips back to hers. Feeling exceptionally content, Clary moved to wrap her legs around his waist. Jace parted his lips in approval, prodding his tongue against her mouth, begging for entrance. She happily obliged, allowing him to take control of the kiss. She felt a tingling sensation as he slipped his hands up into her shirt, climbing higher and higher, almost up to-

Someone cleared his throat, and Clary pulled away instantly. Jace groaned in annoyance, clearly upset that they had been interrupted. Clary's eyes shot open to see Simon in the doorway, his eyes averted to avoid her gaze. If vampires could blush, Clary knew he would be bright red right now. "Sorry," Simon muttered. "I didn't mean to, er, intrude or anything." Jace scoffed. "As you should be, vampire. Do you ever knock?"

Simon's brown eyes darkened until they were almost black. He crossed his arms over his chest defensively, uttering a sound that could only be described as exasperation. "I didn't see the need to knock, considering we're in a public place. I didn't think that was your style, Jace Wayland." Jace smirked. "It is quite my style, actually. And it's not Wayland anymore. It's Lightwood."

Simon shook his head, and turned to leave. "I guess I'll leave you two to your…business…" He left the room, closing the door behind him. As soon as he was sure that Simon was gone, Jace looked back to Clary. "Now, where were we?" he asked, running his hands back up her shirt until they found their destination. His fingers pressed the clasp of her bra, and Clary felt it fall down to the bottom of her shirt. "Right. I remember now..." Clary wanted to blush, when she felt her stomach twist. _No…not again…not now…_ With a groan, Clary bent around and vomited off the side of the bed.

Jace sat up straight, placing a firm hand on her shoulder. "Are you alright?" Clary nodded. "Sorry you had to see that. I haven't been well all week. Simon thinks it's just-" She stopped dead, remembering what she had been doing before she got the news about Jace. "Oh my god." The colour drained from her cheeks, and she felt her body relax. Falling backwards, Clary tipped off the side of the bed and tumbled towards the floor. Had it not been for Jace, she might have hit her head. Luckily, he was there, steadying her with his strong arms.

Clary only barely heard the door burst open, the whoosh of a breeze as Simon ran to kneel beside her. There were other voices in the room, but she couldn't make out who they belonged to. She saw Jace's face, white and washed with fear as he looked down at her. She tried to call to him, but found herself rendered useless and immobile as the darkness washed around her, making the room around her fade to black.


	6. Chapter 6: Transformation

**A/N: Hey guys! Sorry for the long time between updates. I thought the story needed to have a little action, so I added this thingy here :) Anyway, let me know what you think, and if you want to see more like this. I always want to know what you guys like, so feel free to tell me. Thanks!**

"That can't be right...she would have said something to me, I'm sure of it. She-she would never keep that from me…"

Clary stirred at the sound of Jace's worried voice. Her green eyes fluttered open, and she peered around. She was still in Jace's white hospital room, although now it seemed that she was the patient. She lay tucked into the cream sheeted bed, a baby blue hospital gown draped over her straight figure. Jace stood at the foot of the bed, speaking to Dr. Vikram. From his tone of voice, Clary could tell he was stressed, maybe even slightly angry.

Jace had his back to her, angled just so that she couldn't see his face. The doctor, however, stood facing Clary, his expression of guilt clear on his face. A crease formed between his eyebrows to indicate that he was thinking hard. "Perhaps the girl did not know this herself."

Jace shook his head vigorously. "No. How could she _not_ know something like that? I mean, it's _her_ body…" Clary saw the doctor's features change from tense and uncertain to smug and clever. He met her gaze, and locked his eyes on hers. "Why don't you ask her yourself?"

"What-" Jace spun around to face Clary, who was now sitting up straight in the bed. He looked at her with hurt in his eyes, as if he had just found out that she was cheating on him. His face was cold and emotionless; the passion it had contained earlier had been wiped clean and replaced with rejection.

"Is it true then?" Jace's voice was sharp and direct. Clary felt a pang of remorse deep in her chest. Of course she should have told him about everything that was going on the second she saw him. She had been selfish to kiss him without explaining things first.

"Do you mean about…" her voice trailed off, but she finished her sentence wordlessly by looking down at her flat stomach. She knew by the conversation that the doctor had confirmed Simon's suspicions; she was pregnant.

Jace nodded, his expression still solemn and blank. Clary pursed her lips. She didn't want him to feel like they left him out of things while he had been injured in the infirmary. Carefully in her head, she formulated her words. She had never been the one to put things the right way, but this time she would not screw up. She had to do this properly, or risk losing the man she loved for good. Taking a deep breath, Clary attempted to compose her face into something smooth and innocent.

"I wasn't completely sure whether it was true or not until just now." When Jace said nothing, Clary sighed and continued. "I had been feeling sick for the past week or so. It was just this morning that Simon guessed that I might be-" She choked on her words, silently cursing herself for her incapacity to speak without stuttering. "That I might be pregnant." The word was strange and foreign in her mouth; her lips buzzed as her breath passed through them.

"I was on my way home from the drugstore to take the test when I got the call that you were awake." The emptiness on Jace's face eased up, giving way to relief. He sighed, and sat down next to her on the bed. He was silent for a long time, and Clary began to wonder if he had gone mute. She was about to say more when he reached out and took her hand.

Stroking the back of it with his thumb, Jace looked towards the window. "I thought you weren't going to tell me because, well I thought you were going to get rid of it, the baby I mean." Clary was too stunned to speak. Jace had thought that she was keeping her pregnancy a secret because she was going to have an _abortion_? She squeezed his hand and leaned her head on his muscular shoulder.

"Jace, even though I might have no idea what the hell I'm doing, I'd never abort my baby, or rather _our_ baby, I guess. It's a part of me now, and I have to stick with it." She felt his shoulders relax as the tension released itself. He might have gotten all the information he wanted, but Clary still had some questions to ask.

"Are you going to stay with me Jace?" He was still at first, but gradually Clary noticed his body begin to tremble. She frowned, wondering if he was going to stand up and scream. Her frown deepened even further when she realized that his body was shaking in laughter and not rage. "Um, Jace? What's so funny?" Her voice wavered, uncertain if he was laughing at her or not.

He faced her, his golden eyes filled with amazement, whether at her or her question Clary was uncertain. His laughter faded until it was nothing but an amused undertone in his voice. "Do you seriously think that I could ever leave you?" His voice was so sincere that Clary felt like bursting into tears. The worst was over now. Jace was going to stay with her. She breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that she wouldn't be alone like so many others.

She threw herself at Jace, wrapping her arms around his neck. Recovering from his shock, Jace returned her embrace, stoking her red hair. He smelled like shampoo and clean sheets, a combination Clary found quite delightful. He breathed into her ear, kissing her temple as he whispered quietly, "I love you." Clary felt her heart flutter; the quickening in her pulse caused Jace's lips to curl into a smile against her face. She shifted to the side so their faces were perfectly aligned. She kissed him, short and sweet, leaving his lips open and beckoning her back to them. "I love you too."

Jace pulled back for only a moment to turn to Dr. Vikram. "Sir, if you wouldn't mind giving us a moment alone…" he trailed off. Clary thought at first that it was for a seductive emphasis on their purpose, but upon closer examination, she realized that the doctor was no longer there at all. At least not in human form.

He was perched up on a shelf, baring his razor sharp teeth in a snarl. He had grown to twice his normal size, which was enormous considering he had been a tall man to begin with. Where his fingers had once been now grew extended talons, curling into lethal looking points at the tips. There were two torn black wings piercing the fabric of his white lab coat. They made Clary think of a cross between a dragon and an eagle.

Jace stared, his eyes wide. "Oh shit…" The creature's high pitched wail pierced the air, causing Clary to duck and cover her ears. On the floor, she felt Jace wrap an arm around her. The thing that had once been Dr. Vikram ruffled its wings and sprung off the shelf. As it dove towards the ground, Clary yanked Jace's shirt, pushing him behind the bed. She quickly tried to follow, only to feel a sharp stab of pain on her left ankle. She cried out as she felt the sting of talons digging into her skin and lifting her off the floor.

"Clary!" Jace yelled, his voice filled with anguish. Clary reached out her arms, clenching her hands into fists trying to grab onto anything that she could use as leverage. She had lost Jace twice already, and she was not prepared to do it again. She felt a whoosh of air as the creature soared across the room, crashing through the window. Shards of shattered glass rained down on them, cutting gashes in Clary's fair skin. The thing was becoming more and more bird-like, with the exception of its human head and reptilian wings. Clary writhed in its grip, struggling to break free. Finally, she twisted around and kicked hard. She heard a snapping noise as the bone in the things foot cracked. It howled in agony, but held its grip firm with the other foot.

They were getting further away from the hospital by the second, and she could see Jace's body in the frame of the window. He was standing in such a manner that Clary swore he would-

_No…_ There was no way that he could jump this far without getting himself killed. "Jace don't!" But it was too late. He hurled himself from the window, rocketing up into the air like a plane taking off a runway. Clary closed her eyes. She couldn't bear to see him die like this. At first there was nothing. Only the whoosh of the wind in her ears as she sailed through the air. And suddenly, there was a loud _thwack_ as the creature body collided with something solid and huge. _Jace_.

Contorting her body to look upward, Clary stared at the scene above. Jace was on the back of the demon, his arms around its neck in a death grip. It was almost all bird now; an unnatural combination of a griffin and a dragon. The thing squealed, swerving in the air as it lost its sense of sight. Jace grunted as he pulled the thing's head backwards, causing the neck so make a sickening crunch, the sound that came only with the breaking of bones. The demons clawed foot immediately released its grip on Clary, and she began to drop towards the ground. With a scream, she thrashed in the air, finally coming to grab hold of the creature's tail. Somehow, it was still flying. She had no idea how; Jace had snapped its neck. Surely it must have been dead. Nothing was able to live without a connection from their brain to their spine. _Unless_… Clary looked up at Jace, who was in turn peering down at her, a look of puzzlement in his amber eyes. Clary broke her gaze and looked over the demon. She had only just caught sight of its second head before it sent her flying off the edge and tumbling towards the earth.

Its beak caught the fabric of her shirt, snatching her back up from the grip of gravity. Its jagged mouth snapped at her, tearing her skin and causing blood to flow heavily from wounds on her chest. She held back cries of pain, not wanting Jace to see her as weak. Instead, she looked to see where the head had come from. It was growing from where a human's belly button might be, on the underside of the stomach. There was a long neck that she hadn't seen before; it must have been hidden by his lab coat. A grotesquely long neck extended from the demon's mid-section. It was a lizard- like face with an avian beak. Inside the beak were teeth similar to those found on a shark, triple layered for three times the pain. Clary felt them digging into her skin, grinding against the hard bone of her chest.

Tears streamed down her cheek as she punched and kicked, attempting feebly to free herself. The pain was crippling, making Clary want to curl up in a ball and die. She could see Jace above her, hammering his fists onto the back of the creature. He was so focused that she was sure he would miss the extended devil-like tail of the demon curling up to pierce his back…

"Jace! Behind you!" Clary somehow found the strength to call out to him. He spun around, but not soon enough. The tail slammed into him, knocking him off of the creature and sending him tumbling through the air, only catching onto the creature by its shattered leg. The tail swung back and forth in the air, trying to get a good angle to stab Jace in the stomach. As the thing realized that the tail was not going to work, its eyes locked on Clary and narrowed into a beastly smirk, or whatever the lizard equivalent of a smirk was.

It must have decided that getting rid of Jace was a bigger priority than keeping her, because the next thing Clary knew, she was falling, only to catch Jace's ankle and dig her nails into it. She heard him swear, and she winced, hating herself for causing him pain. "Sorry!" she said quietly, although he seemed to hear her, and nodded at her in a way that told her he forgave her. The head of the lizard was weaving itself around the dead cartilage of Dr. Vikram's human head. It seemed to be trying to get a better angle to shoot itself at Jace. If they could only let go then they would be safe. There was only the problem of falling…

Suddenly Clary had an idea. She lifted her free hand, and dug around in her pocket until she felt something small and cold touch her fingers. Silently, she thanked the Angel for her good fortune. She pulled out her stele, and began to trace a rune onto the arm that still clutched Jace for dear life. The word that echoed in her head was instantly transferred onto her arm through the dancing movement of her stele. The rune felt natural on her arm, yet she couldn't help but know that it was something brand new that had emerged from her thoughts.

As she finished the final line, she shoved her stele back into her pocket and glanced upward. The creature's head had launched itself at Jace several times already. Clary knew this by the cuts and slashes on his arms. They couldn't have been anything but the tooth marks of a reptile. She turned to her left, seeing the demon reposition itself for one final attack. She noticed how its head was pointed directly at Jace's heart, its teeth bared in a victory grin. This time, it would not miss.

"Jace!" she called. He looked down at her, fear in his eyes. Clary knew that it was fear for her and not for himself, but she couldn't help feeling angry at the creature for evoking this rare emotion on his perfect face. It did not suit Jace at all, to say the least. His features contorted into a frown, scrunched together, while his eyes were widened and glassy. She took a breath, and continued to speak. "I need you to let go."

Jace almost laughed it shock. "Are you crazy? If I let go, we all die!"

Shaking her head, Clary replied "We die even if you hang on. You have to trust me. Let go." With a final sigh, Jace nodded. He looked at her with saddened eyes, and she thought that he was thinking that this might be the last time they saw each other. Yet he still complied. "I trust you. I love you so much Clary." With those final words, he closed his eyes, and released the foot of the monster. Clary took in one last look at his face, absorbing the full impact of her love for him. "I love you too, Jace." she whispered. And then they fell.


	7. Chapter 7: Flight

Clary remembered the time she had fallen out of the tree in her front yard back in second grade. She had gone up to retrieve her blue Frisbee that Simon had gotten stuck in the leaves, when the twig she was standing on had snapped beneath her. She remembered being high up, and then suddenly on the ground, the wind knocked clean out of her lungs. This was nothing like that.

This fall was slow, and she was fully aware of what was happening the entire time. She felt Jace's hand grasp hers as he fell beside her, and she heard the caws of the creature above. She wasn't sure if it was laughing or screaming or both, but it didn't matter to her right now. She had to focus.

Putting her full concentration into the rune, Clary squeezed Jace's hand and pictured herself soaring through the air, side by side with her love. As she thought it, she felt it happen. The _flight_ rune on her forearm burned lightly as it sprang into action. It caused the falling sensation to cease and a new found lightness to set in. She felt a tug on her arm as Jace was jolted to the same halt that she had felt mere seconds ago. Clary opened her eyes, searching the air for the hybrid demon. It was nowhere to be found, although if she listened closely, she swore she could still hear the flapping of wings somewhere far off in the distance.

The second thing she did was look down at Jace. He in turn was staring up at her, a look of astonishment spreading across his face. His lips tried to form words, but he was struck with awe. Nothing came out but garbled stutters. Clary couldn't stop herself from giggling. "Is it that weird?" she asked.

He shook his head vigorously. "It's not that. You're just so beautiful." Clary felt the colour rush to her cheeks. She had heard him say it so many times before, but it was as if it was brand new every time he did. Clary wondered if she would ever get used to the way Jace made her feel. She sure hoped not. Looking down at him, her lips slowly pulled into a grin. "Give me your other hand."

Instantly, Jace shot his arm up to her, and she took it in her grasp. Pulling him up to her level, she placed his feet on her toes so he could balance. "You're going to need to get a little closer. I don't want you to fall off…" He laughed and wrapped his arms around her waist. She felt herself being pulled up against him, the movement of his muscles contracting beneath his white shirt. Looking up at him, Clary could have sworn there was nothing more beautiful. The sun was shining from behind Jace's head, framing it with a golden outline that enhanced his angelic features. She let out an involuntary gasp and felt Jace's body shake against her in silent laughter.

"I know. Amazing, right?" he gloated. If Clary had any free hands, she probably would have smacked him. Sadly, she only had her lips. She tilted her head up and kissed him. His lips were soft and gentle against hers; not fighting for dominance, just resting there and allowing her to move the way she wanted to. Clary was lost in the embrace, trying to pull closer and closer to Jace only to find out that it was impossible. She was already as close as she could get. Jace moved his hands from her back to the front of her chest, pressing his palms against her warm skin. Clary sucked in a sharp breath as pain exploded through her body. Jace pulled away and cautiously looked down into her emerald eyes. "Did I hurt you?"

Clary shook her head. She had completely forgotten about the wound the demon's teeth had punctured into her skin. She glanced down at her shirt to see that it was soaked in blood. "I'm okay…" she sighed. "I just need to get bandaged up or something." Jace didn't speak. He only looked at her with hurt filled eyes. She could tell by his expression that he blamed himself for what had happened.

"Jace it's not your fault. I didn't act fast enough to get away and-" Jace cut her off with a sigh. "If you hadn't come to see me, you wouldn't have gotten hurt." Clary sighed; she had suspected that he would say that. "That is completely un-true. If I hadn't known you were okay, I probably would still be grieving in my room worrying about whether you were dead or alive. That pain was a thousand times worse than this."

Jace was silent once again. He stared off into the distance, his eyes glazed over as if his soul had left his body. After a few moments, he rested a hand on her stomach. "Let's get you bandaged up." The light returned to his face, overpowering whatever sadness had filled him before. "Then we'll find you a doctor that won't try to rip our heads off."

Clary laughed and took his hand. Holding onto Jace's wrists, she plunged towards the ground, landing gracefully on her feet as the rune dissolved into her skin.

Two hours and several rolls of white bandage later, Clary sat on the couch in the front room of the institute. Jace was on the phone with Luke and Jocelyn; they had called to invite the Lightwoods over for dinner only minutes after they had walked in the door. Jace mumbled something about six thirty into the phone and hung up. Then he swiftly turned to Clary and was on the couch beside her before she could blink. She marveled at his speed, thinking she would have gotten used to it by now. The truth was that she only became more fascinated with him every time he was around her.

Jace rested a hand on Clary's soft belly. She blushed slightly, still uncomfortable with the idea of having a baby. She was far too young, still in her junior year of high school. She had her whole life ahead of her, and having a baby would throw off her whole plan. She couldn't go to college when she had planned to, she couldn't travel the world with Jace the way she had always wanted to, even the wedding she had always dreamed of would be shattered, that is if Jace wanted to marry her at all…

Clary found herself sobbing uncontrollably into Jace's shoulder. Startled, he awkwardly shifted his hand from her stomach to her back, tracing circles on her spine in a smooth back and forth movement. She wrapped her hands around his neck, wanting to feel him near her, knowing he would never let her go. Suddenly, she felt clingy to Jace, like if she let him go he would disappear forever. She knew it must be hormones, but she hadn't expected them to be this bad and this early.

"Jace, do you think we'll ever get married? Like, in a church with our families and a white dress and a cake?" Jace was clearly caught off guard by her question; his mouth hung open slightly as he contemplated his words, something he rarely, if ever, did. Finally, he seemed to come to a decision about what he would say. "Why, do _you_ want to get married?" That was typical Jace, answering her question with one of his own. She curled up against him, hiding her face in his long, uncut hair. He hadn't gotten it trimmed in a while, and it hung low on his shoulders, making him seem laid back and care-free. The complete opposite of his actual personality.

Clary shook her head. "Not right now. Maybe some time in the future, when we're older and more experienced. I want to know what we want in life first, so that we can plan around it and be prepared." Jace smiled, clearly impressed with her analogy. He pulled her off of his shoulder, positioning her so that she leaned against his strong chest and looked up at his face. With a hand on her shoulder and the other over his heart, he began to recite a vow in a pledge-of-honour tone.

"I promise you, that one day, no matter when that is, I will put a ring on that pretty little finger of yours. As soon as you want to, say the word and we'll do it. Get married, I mean. Exactly the way you want it, too. We can have one of those stupid little Mexican sombrero bands, maybe even a stripper…"

Clary elbowed him in the stomach, and he curled inward in a mixture of pain and laughter. "I was just kidding!" he said in between breaths of air. "Yeah well, I'm pregnant so I have an excuse to punch you every once and a while." Jace just laughed again, straightening up to ruffle her hair. "Go ahead, but stay away from the face, okay? I need it to make sure you stay in love with me."

Clary raised an eyebrow, something Jace had recently taught her how to do, and put her hand on his cheek. "Do you seriously think that there's any way I could fall out of love with you even if I wanted to?" Jace shook his head, a beam of pride consuming his features. "Glad to know you're so committed." He looked around, seeming to only just notice his surroundings. Turning back to Clary, his lips twisted into a devilish grin. "After you have this baby, we're not going to have much alone time. I was thinking, since we have the house to ourselves…we might want to make the most of it." He looked at her and winked. Clary laughed out loud, glancing down at her currently flat stomach. "Well, I'm already knocked up, so what harm can it do?" Jace's smile widened as he scooped her off of the couch.

"We have to be at Luke and Jocelyn's by six thirty. Think we can manage with such a tight schedule?" Clary pulled him closer to her, locking their lips in a passionate kiss. After a minute, she pulled back looking into his eyes and murmuring "I think we can manage." Pulling Clary closer to him, Jace carried her up the stairs to his room, shutting the door behind them.

**A/N: No lemon guys :P I need to get moving with the plot, and it won't fit together if I add a scene like that. So anyways, the next part is pretty intense, let's just say Luke has a temper. Stay tuned :D**


	8. Chapter 8: Fluster

**A/N: This one's short and sweet, more of a filler of space than anything plot related. Get ready for some action in the next part though!**

Clary stared into the mirror, attempting fruitlessly to remove a smudge of mascara from her cheekbone. She wore a sleeveless floor length gown that pooled in layers of fabric on the floor around her feet. It was made of red silk, framing her body in such a way that accented the small curves she had, making her seem more elegant than she probably was. The Morgenstern ring rested in its usual place around her neck. Clary thought of Jace's words to her months earlier. _Think of it as a symbol for our love; the love that moves the sun and all the other stars._ She sighed, dropping the damp cloth to the counter and proceeding to scrape at her cheek with the tip of her peach painted nails.

There was a knock at the door, and Clary turned to see Isabelle in the door frame. She was holding up a bottle of makeup remover. "Looking for something?" she asked, a triumphant smile lighting up her face. Clary stuck her tongue out childishly. "Yes, Iz. Would you mind?" Clary held out her hand, motioning for Isabelle to hand her the bottle. As she did, Isabelle stepped backward. "Not so fast. Aren't you going to tell her why there's a bloody bandage sticking out of your dress? I thought you were going shopping with Simon…" Her voice trailed off, leaving the question hanging in the air for Clary to answer.

"Simon's fine. He left the hospital after I passed out." Seeing Isabelle's curious expression, Clary shook her head. "I'm not really up to talking about it though." Isabelle sighed. She hated missing out on the good gossip, especially when it was within her own family. She took three long strides into the room before coming to stand beside Clary. Removing the cap of the bottle, she poured a dab onto a cotton ball and began rubbing it on Clary's blackened cheek. "You still never answered my question about the bandage."

Clary looked down at her chest where the faint outlines of tooth marks had left indentations in her bones. The _iratze_ had healed most of the wound, but seeing as it had cut so deep there were still some signs of her battle scars visible above the top of her dress. Feeling warmth rushing to her cheek, Clary yanked out the red stained cloth from underneath. "I guess we can thank Mother Nature for this one." Isabelle snickered, clearly amused with Clary's feminine schedule. Of course, Clary was lying though; there was no way she could have her period while she was pregnant, but what Isabelle didn't know couldn't hurt her.

Clearly, Clary had some misconceptions as to what Isabelle didn't know. "Bullshit, Fray. I saw the pregnancy tests in your bag. Jace got you all knocked up, didn't he?" She laughed as Clary's blush reddened. "And you were so careful! I thought you would have known that Jace was bound to break that condom, what with him being as big as a-"

"As flattering as that is, Isabelle, I don't see how you would know. You've never seen me naked, at least from what I know of." Jace stood behind his sister, smiling down at her with a grin that spread from ear to ear. Isabelle's eyes widened in surprise, but she composed her features back to a calm set before she turned to face him. "I think I hear the phone. I'll go get it." The sarcasm in her voice was clear, but she didn't need to be convincing. Clary could tell she was just looking for a way to get out of the awkward situation.

As the dark haired girl scurried out of the bathroom, Jace turned to Clary and picked up the cotton ball. Laughing quietly to himself, he discarded it in the trash can along with the bandage Clary had pulled out of her dress. "Sorry about Iz. She's just jealous that there's someone in the house getting laid other than her."

Clary turned away and looked at the ground, stunned that her cheeks could get any redder than they had been. Jace wrapped his arms around her from behind, locking her in a tight bear hug. "You look beautiful in that dress. Although it does nothing to compare to how you look without it…"

"Jace!" Clary turned and smacked her boyfriend firmly on the arm, not hard enough to hurt him. He recoiled in mock surprise, cradling his arm as if she had broken it. "Easy there, Tiger. I need these to smash some demons." He extended his arms outward and flexed his biceps. Clary giggled, rather to hide her fascination than in amusement. Jace was strong, she would give him that. His muscles moved under his skin, giving him that sexy, naturally toned look that made her feel weak in the knees.

There was a shimmer as Magnus appeared in the doorway, covered from head to toe in brightly coloured fabric. Glitter shed from his spiky hair as he moved, coating the floor in a sparkling layer of dust. "As handsome as you may be, Jace, we've got to get going. Alec is worried that we'll be late. He's so cute when he freaks out!" With a twinkle in his eyes, Magnus turned back to the hall. "We'll be down in a minute, dearest. The lovebirds were making out in the bathroom."

Her face as bright as a tomato, Clary stormed out into the hall and down the stairs. "I'll be outside. Call me when the portal is ready." She heard Jace stifle a laugh, and Magnus make no attempt to do the same. "Feisty one you've got there, Wayland."

"It's Lightwood to you, Bane." Jace snapped back, only causing Magnus to laugh even harder. "Right. Sometimes I forget you and Alec are related. He's so shy; whereas you… well you have no trouble, er, expressing yourself. I can tell that much from the amount of noise you and Clary were making up here earlier. What were you two doing, debating politics?" Jace growled and lunged forward, but Magnus was quick. He exploded into a cloud of rainbow coloured smoke, only to appear at the bottom of the stairs, beaming. "Let's get that portal ready, shall we?" he said with a wink. "Can't keep Luke and Jocelyn waiting."


	9. Chapter 9: Rage

Jocelyn bustled around the kitchen, stirring pots and sautéing pans every few seconds. "You're absolutely sure there's nothing I can help you with?" Clary asked. Her mother had been running around cooking for the past two hours, barely leaving the room to converse with her guests. Out in the hall, Isabelle was talking to Luke, deep in some discussion about Jocelyn's wedding dress. Simon stood behind Isabelle protectively, a hand on her shoulder just to let her know he was there. Alec and Magnus were on the couch, wrapped around each other in a way that wasn't exactly polite for a public area. No one minded though. Everyone in the house was madly in love with at least one other person, so we got where each other were coming from.

The only person who wasn't absorbed in the atmosphere of the dinner party was Jace. He sat on the blue sofa, staring through the archway at Clary. She caught his eye, and he waved, not embarrassed in the least that she had caught him staring. Just then, the doorbell rang, causing Luke to look up from his conversation and turn to Clary. "I'll get it." she grumbled. Luke shot her a thankful glance before turning back to Isabelle, who seemed irritated that his attention was not fully on her.

"Be right back." Clary said to her mother before getting up off the stool and heading to answer the door. There was low breeze, and Jace was at her side, his hand on her waist. Without thinking, did the same to him, pulling him closer to her. With her free hand, she turned the knob and opened the door, revealing Maia and Jordan standing hand in hand on the mat. Maia was dressed in a light pink top and matching skirt, with a white cotton cardigan slung over her shoulders to keep her warm. Jordan stood beside her, looking handsome in a plain white dress shirt and pants. Their hands were twined together, a gesture that Clary recognized as mutual affection.

"Hey guys!" she said, smiling. "Come on in!"

Maia released Jordan's hand and stepped into the house. "Thanks for having us. Jordan here was having a complete meltdown about the situation with the Praetor. He needs something to get it off of his mind."

Jordan looked offended. "I was not having a meltdown! I was just frustrated that-"

Jace cut him off abruptly, motioning for him to follow them into the hall. "Let's not argue" he said reasonably. "We're here to have fun, right? We should enjoy ourselves. Maia nodded, pleased that someone had stopped Jordan before he could really get started. Clary led them to the front room where Alec and Magnus had broken apart and now sat side by side at the dinner table. Isabelle and Simon sat across from them, still chattering with Luke who sat at the table end closest to the entrance.

Maia waved at Luke, who in turn beamed at her and held a finger up to Isabelle. "Please excuse me. I'm just going to get Maia and Jordan seated." At the sound of his band mate's name, Simon spun around on his chair. "Jordan! Hey man, 'sup?"

Jordan grinned, walking over to pull out a chair for Maia. "Good bro. How 'bout you? Being good to Isabelle, I hope." Maia sat down, and Jordan flopped onto the chair next to Simon, his black curls bouncing as he did. Simon frowned as if the question had hurt his feelings. "Yeah. I plan on doing things right this time. No screwing around."

Alec grimaced. He was clearly still not over the fact that Simon had cheated on his sister the last time they were together. He had every right to be angry, too; Simon had broken Isabelle's heart. But now that they were back together, it was hard to see her vampire friend ever hurting Iz again. Jace took Clary's hand and led her over to the other side of the table, pulling out the chair next to Alec and signalling for her to sit on it. She did, and Jace positioned himself in the seat beside her, just as Jocelyn walked in holding a tray of ham, potatoes, and a variety of vegetables. "Dinner is served!" she said proudly.

There was a murmur of approval as the guests caught sight of the long awaited meal. The plates were set down and passed around, everyone taking a helping of each bowl. Once everyone was served, the conversation started up again as Jocelyn took her seat at the other head of the table. Magnus spoke first. "So, Luke. Are you nervous for the wedding? The man usually starts to get cold feet the week before, am I right?" Alec nudged him, annoyed that he had asked such an inappropriate question.

Luke just laughed and waved it off. "Well, after you've waited your whole life for the person you love to say they love you back, it's almost impossible to get cold feet. I'm just grateful to have such a lovely woman in my life." Jocelyn blushed, blowing a kiss to her fiancée across the long table. After that, there was a long silence as everyone ate.

There was something about Jocelyn's cooking that made everything around you seem irrelevant. Along with art, cuisine was something Clary's mother had always had an exceptional talent for. Biting into the ham, Clary thought of the last time she had eaten it.

It was just last month, and Jocelyn was expecting Luke's sister Amatis to come in from Alicante to celebrate their engagement. There was a change in plans, and Amatis was stuck in Idris for an emergency meeting of all Shadowhunters in the capital city. Jocelyn had already prepared a ham, and not wanting it to go to waste, had asked Clary if she wanted to have Jace and Simon over. Of course Clary had said yes, calling her friend first and then her boyfriend. Jace had answered, sounding weary and ragged on the other line.

He had agreed to come over, but sounded hesitant about seeing Clary's whole family there. She had told him not to worry, and to come over right away. As he stepped in the door, Clary took back her words almost instantly. He was beaten down from the feet up, his clothes torn into rags and his face covered in bloody cuts. There were bruises covering his whole body; where his skin was normally a golden white colour it was now completely purple. There were two deep gashes on his chest and one on his back.

"What the hell happened to you?" Clary had shouted, rushing over to him and wrapping her arms around his waist. Against his usual nature, Jace hadn't moved to return her embrace. He had just stood there, completely still, waiting for her to let go. He had uttered just one word before snapping back into reality: "Sebastian".

Just thinking about it sent shivers down Clary's spine. It was exactly a month later that she had found Jace on the floor of the Institute's kitchen, Sebastian's silver dagger plowed into his chest.

She squeezed his hand, and he turned to look at her, his golden eyes melting her every feeling of pain and loss. "Something wrong?" he asked, genuinely concerned. She shook her head, although she knew he could see right through her white lie. That didn't matter now, though. This was a time to be happy for Luke and her mother, no matter how tough things were outside in their normal life.

Clary pushed her memories away, coming back to the dinner table. Jordan was looking over at her expectantly, and everyone else at the table, with the exception of Jace, had a look of amusement on their faces, as if she were missing out on some obvious joke.

"I'm sorry," she said, blushing a light rosy shade. "Did I miss something?" Jordan nodded, shoving a bite of potato into his mouth, swallowing it, and saying "I asked you where those bite marks on your chest came from."

"Oh, those? Well… when I went to pick up Jace from the hospital…" A look of horror was spreading over her mother's face, and Clary realized what her words probably sounded like to anyone that hadn't been there for the attack. "It's not what you think, though." Clary said, quickly trying to explain her situation. "There was a demon doctor, some half bird-lizard-human thing. He carried me out the window. The bite marks were from where his teeth were holding me."

Relief spread over Jocelyn's face. So Clary _had_ been right. Her mother had thought that _Jace_ had caused those bite marks. If only she knew what they had been up to earlier…

Seeming to read her thoughts, Jace stepped in, changing the subject to something a little less touchy. "It wasn't really a big deal. We're okay, and that's all that matters. So did you all hear about that warlock over in the Bronx who-"

"Clary's pregnant." A stunned silence swarmed over the table like a wave crashing onto the shore of a calm beach. Peace at first, followed by a violent aftermath. All eyes turned to Isabelle, who had spoken. Her expression was a mixture of pride, smugness, and jealousy. _That little bitch…_ Clary thought. _I trusted her, I thought she was my friend, and the second the attention leaves her, she decides to go and-_

Clary took a deep breath, and let all the negative thoughts towards Isabelle flow out though her exhalations. She looked around to see the reactions of the dinner guests. Simon was looking at the ground, not shocked in the least. After all, he was the one that had suspected it in the first place. Maia and Jordan were staring at her, evidently trying to stop their mouths from hanging open. Magnus was holding back laughter, and Alec was glaring at him, the look on his face indicating that if it weren't for the situation, he probably would have kicked Magnus in the shins by now.

Turning to her left, Clary faced the person she was the most afraid to look at. Her mother. She was almost disappointed to see her face; where Clary had thought her mother would be furious with rage, she was more sad and hurt. She could see her mother trying to speak, and recognized the bite of the lip that signified that if Jocelyn tried to speak, she might burst into tears. Clary herself used that lip bite often. It was something that ran in the feminine side of the Fairchild bloodline.

Clary pivoted on her chair to face Luke. His face was bright red, as if he might explode into flames at any second. His knuckles turned white as he clenched the edge of the table, and Clary thought she might have heard the splintering of wood as it cracked under the pressure of his grip. Through gritted teeth, Luke asked "Is Jace the…_father_?" With a hand on Clary's knee, Jace nodded. There was no shame in his features though, or at least not that Clary could detect. Only love for her and the child growing inside. "Yeah. The baby's mine, and-"

But he never got to finish. Because as he spoke, Luke sprang forward across the table, his werewolf claws fully extended, and lunged for Jace's throat.


	10. Chapter 10: Confrontation

Clary dropped her stele back onto the coffee table as she finished tracing the _iratze_ on Jace's arm. His throat sealed up, and his frequent gasps for breath slowed down to a regular pace. Feeling relieved, Clary slumped down on the brown couch beside him and rested her head on his shoulder. She ran her hand up and down Jace's muscular arm, taking in his warmth with gratitude. She had been feeling cold since dinner.

On the other side of the room, as far away from Jace as Jocelyn could keep him, Luke sat on the big blue armchair, nearly tearing the stuffing out of the cushions. He was still pretty pissed, Clary judged not only from his expression, but also by the way he was screaming out all of the things he would do to Jace once he got a hold of him alone. Much to Clary's discomfort, many of these things involved a pair of scissors and a lot of pain on Jace's part. Luckily he was still unconscious, and couldn't hear the plots Luke was forming against him.

The boy's breathing slowed, and Clary could tell by the rhythmic rise and fall of his chest that Jace had dozed off. She shifted her weight on the couch and moved to place his head on her lap. She stroked his blonde curls, taking them between her fingers and twirling them around and around until they lost their shimmer. He seemed peaceful in his sleep, Clary observed. Almost as if nothing was wrong, and Clary hadn't ruined everything by getting herself pregnant.

"The little bastard better hope I never catch him alone. 'Cause as soon as I do, I'm gonna hang him to the ceiling fan by his eyelids and set his pretty little face on fire, one cell of skin at a time…" Luke was seething with anger, and Jocelyn seemed disturbed that such thoughts were coming from her fiancées mind. Clary was a little shocked too; Luke had always been so gentle, like a stuffed animal or a favourite TV character that idealised the perfect father figure. He was the huggable lovable teddy bear that no one feared and everyone wanted to have around. There was obviously a dark side to this guy that both Clary and her mother had never seen before.

Without any warning, Luke suddenly burst out of his chair and stormed towards the bathroom. Jocelyn stared after him perplexed before turning to Clary with saddened green eyes. She took in the sight of her daughter, as if seeing her for the first time. Clary was glad that everyone had left; she had a feeling that the way her mother was looking at her would have made anyone else in the room extremely uncomfortable.

Jace stirred on Clary's lap, causing her to break her mother's gaze and glance down at him. His eyes were fluttering open, his long lashes beating lightly in the air. He seemed disoriented as he glanced around the room. His eyes appeared to be searching for something, and Clary was fairly certain she knew exactly what. Her suspicions were confirmed as his sights settled on her, his lips curving slightly to the sides. "Hey beautiful." Across the room, Jocelyn made a slight gagging noise, and Clary looked up to glare at her.

"Sorry," Jocelyn muttered "But if you don't mind, no PDA in the living room. I'm still trying to decide whether I'm angry or not, and you two groping each other in front of me isn't going to aid you very much in this case."

Clary crossed her arms stubbornly, bending over to plant a kiss on Jace's forehead. "Fine. We'll go elsewhere."

"You will not!" Jocelyn yelled, jumping off the couch and nearly knocking over a vase on the coffee table as she did. _Must have made up her mind about being angry, _Clary thought to herself. Jocelyn continued to scold her daughter. "I trusted you to be responsible Clarissa! I didn't mind what you did as long as you took care of yourself, because I thought you would be smart enough to make the right decisions! Obviously I was wrong, because you're standing here now with your _delinquent_ boyfriend, with a baby on the way and no idea what to do!" There were tears welling in both women's eyes; Jocelyn's from anger and disappointment, Clary's from hurt and rejection.

Wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, Clary fought the urge to sob. "First of all," she said, hoping her voice didn't waver, "Jace is not a delinquent. He thought we were safe because he wore a condom, and he thought I was on birth control. It was completely my fault, so please leave him out of this. And second of all, I love him, and I know for a fact that nothing is going to break us apart, so there is no reason that having his baby is a bad thing."

Jocelyn opened her mouth to speak, but Clary held up a hand to stop her. "I'm not done yet. I love Jace and Jace loves me. All Shadowhunters have their children young these days, so this is actually _normal_. Even though this baby wasn't planned, that doesn't make it any less of a blessing. I'm happy with my situation, and I quite frankly don't care what anyone else thinks."

Jace was staring up at her looking impressed. "Nice work." he whispered, just loud enough for only Clary to hear. She smiled, but quickly wiped it off her face to look at her mother. Jocelyn was just standing there, her expression completely blank. There was no indicator of whether the speech had made her soft or angry, but Clary wasn't prepared to find out. She sat up, forcing Jace to straighten into a sitting position. She leaned toward him and kissed him slowly on the lips, breaking away only to speak again. "I have to go to the bathroom. If you're planning on saying anything to Jace that you don't want me to hear, do it now." And with that, she got up off the couch and stormed down the hall into the bathroom.

Clary stomped into the powder blue tiled room and shut the door behind her, collapsing onto the ground in tears. She laid a hand on her stomach, seeing if she could feel the life inside of her. There was nothing, but that was what she had expected. There wasn't supposed to be any sign of pregnancy this early; she wouldn't have ever thought there was anything different with her if those tests hadn't all been positive.

She was about to get up and go back to the living room when the door swung open, sending her flying across the short width of the room. She slammed into the wall with a thud, tasting the metallic flavour of blood in her mouth. Slightly dazed, she looked up to see a figure walk into the room. It was tall, broad-shouldered and pale, with the exception of the dark runes that twined around its body. It was clearly male, and as it stepped forward, she began to make out the face.

Gasping in horror, Clary surveyed in Sebastian's features. He still looked just like Valentine with his silver hair combed to the side, the way he stood indicated that he was confident and proud, yet still sly enough to deceive you. He might have looked somewhat human if it weren't for his eyes. They were fully black today, no trace of an iris or a pupil anywhere. "Hello sister." he said with a sneer.

Clary backed up towards the shower, trying to find a way to escape. "You-you-you…" she was at a loss for words. The last she had seen of Sebastian he was lying dead on the floor of the Institute after a bloody showdown between himself and Jace. "You're supposed to be dead! Jace killed you…" Sebastian scoffed. "If only things were that simple, little sister. I heard you have a little bun in the oven."

Clary placed a hand protectively over her stomach, surprised to see how she had reacted so naturally to something she had only known about for less than a day. "It's none of your business, you sick excuse for a human being. Now leave me alone before I scream." His expression changed from sly to amused. "It wouldn't do you any good, you know." Before she could ask what he meant, his body began to twist and grow, molding into the shape of another human being. Seconds later, his hair had changed from silver to dark brown, and he wore the same white shirt and tie that her almost-step-father had worn earlier that evening.

Sebastian now stood before her, looking exactly like Luke. "What have you done to him?" she asked, fear squeezing through the cracks in her composure. "Who, the wolf? He'll be fine. He's in the closet out there. As for you…" In one swift movement, he brought his hand down on Clary's face, smacking it back against the hard tile. She cried out in pain, feeling as if he had shattered her skull. For all she knew, he very well might have. "Jace…" she moaned, calling out for her boyfriend to save her.

The thing that wore Luke's face smirked. "It's no use. He can't hear you. Might as well just give up now." Clary mumbled some very unladylike words before she slipped into the darkness, hearing Sebastian chuckle as she lost consciousness.


	11. Chapter 11: Emptiness

**Part 2**

"Jace, come on. It's been three hours. You've got to go to sleep sometime." Alec stood at the end of Jace's bed, pitying his _parabatai_. Jace had been waiting up for hours, sitting by the phone and anxiously awaiting a call from the Clave that would probably never come. It had been two months since Clary had gone missing from Luke and Jocelyn's house, and Jace was slowly losing hope that he would ever find his love.

"Alec, I can't. What if the second I go to sleep, they call me about Clary? I can't just let her down like that. You would do the same for Magnus, wouldn't you?" Alec nodded, and Jace knew that there wasn't much his brother _wouldn't_ do for the glitter covered warlock that was his boyfriend. He had seen the way they looked at each other; he recognized it as the same gazes he used to exchange with Clary, those that signified unconditional love and commitment. "I'm actually going over to his apartment now. He wants me to stay the night so that we can set off to look for that book of his first thing in the morning."

Sensing an opportunity to lighten his mood, Jace elbowed Alec in the arm. "Sounds like it's going to be a long night, eh? I have a feeling neither of us will be getting much sleep-" He cried out in pain as Alec crushed his toes beneath steel toed black hiking boots. Immediately, Jace yanked his feet onto the bed, curling them beneath him. He picked up his cell phone off the nightstand and shoved it into the pocket of his dark wash denim jeans. "I'm going to Taki's for some coffee. Have fun at Magnus's…" Jace trailed off with a wink, easily sidestepping Alec's fist as it swung past his face. He was blushing a deep scarlet red.

"Yeah. See you later, I guess." he mumbled.

Twenty minutes later, Jace was sitting in a booth in the old diner, staring at his phone on the table. The screen hadn't changed; there were still no new messages, no missed calls from the Clave. He was beginning to grow restless. Were they ever going to call? Was there still hope that Clary could be found? His chest felt like an empty cavity, something that had once been full and happy, but was now drained of all of the things that gave it life. Clary was his other half; without her, he was nowhere near his usual self. He had become withdrawn from the others in his life, only allowing Alec and occasionally Isabelle to speak to him outside of meetings. He had spent countless hours in his room trying to track Clary, using anything that had been of significance to her: his favourite blue sweater of hers, her stele, her sketchpad.

That was how Jace knew she hadn't left voluntarily. Clary never went anywhere without her art supplies, of that much he was certain. Even when she had come after him to Venice, she had brought her box of pencils to draw. Jace found himself smiling at the thought of his girlfriend doing what she loved. He liked to picture her that way; smiling under a tree, in his arms, sketching out the landscape ahead.

"What can I get you?" It was Kaelie, the fey waitress that worked his table at the restaurant. She had her blonde hair tied back in a tight ponytail, a butterfly barrette pinning back her short bangs. She wore a black short sleeved t-shirt underneath her orange Taki's apron, and black skinny jeans. Jace supposed she was attractive, after all he had slept with her once, but now all he could think of was Clary, and how beautiful she had been the last time he had seen her, glowing with his child inside of her.

Snapping out of his thoughts and back into reality, he glanced down at the menu. "I'll just have a coffee, I guess." Kaelie gave him a sympathetic glance. "You look so lonely. Something wrong?"

He nodded, and Kaelie glanced around the store. Sensing what she was thinking, Jace moved over. "There's no one else here. Take a break." She smiled gratefully and scooted into the booth beside Jace. Her blue eyes stared over at him, perplexed. "What's going on? I never see you this…down."

Jace shook his head. "It's Clary. She's been missing for the past two months, and no one has even heard of her being anywhere. It's painful to not know where she is. To make things worse, she's…" He sighed. No matter how nice Kaelie was, he didn't really want to tell her everything about his personal life. It was really Clary's choice who she told about the baby, but then again, Clary really wasn't here. "It just hurts so much, you know? Like there's a part of me missing. There's a hole in my chest where someone tore out my heart, and-"

Just like that, Kaelie was kissing him. Not gentle and comforting, but fiercely, the movement of her mouth on his filled with passion. Jace thought back to the time they had hooked up, back at her place in Manhattan. He had been young then, still confused about his life, only sure of his looks and what they could do for him. He chuckled inwardly, thinking of how stupid he had been. Kaelie pulled him closer to her, deepening the kiss. Jace thought of Clary, the way her lips moved _with_ his and not against them, the way her body seemed to fit with his, the way everything was so natural with her. This was nothing like that. This kiss seemed forced, like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. Guilt flooded through his body. Clary was out there somewhere, probably waiting for help that might never come, and here he was, essentially cheating on her in a diner with some fairy girl from his past.

Jace pushed Kaelie off of him, and she slipped off the edge of the booth onto the linoleum floor. "What the-" She was cut off by the ring of a phone. It was Jace's cell, buzzing against the cold table. His face lit up; was it the Clave calling to say they had found Clary? He snatched up the phone and looked down at the screen. His heart sunk, it was a number he had never seen before. Something with an area code from just off of the highway, he recognized it from when he had to call one of Magnus's friends who had a cottage out there. He was about to cancel the call, but something inside of him was begging to answer it. _Eh…_ he thought. _What harm can it do anyways?_ He flipped open the cell phone and pressed it to his ear. "Hello?"

"Jace! Oh my god!" His heart skipped several beats, nearly stopping altogether. "Clary?" There was a hysterical sobbing laughter-like noise on the other end. "Jace, please help me. He's got me here. I don't know how much time I have before he comes back. But I need you."

Jace still couldn't believe he was talking to her. After almost eight weeks of silence, she had just called him up on the phone. "Where are you?" he asked, the shock evident in his shaking voice. "Off the highway. Oh god, Jace hurry. He's coming. He's-" There was a sound on the other end that sounded like shattering glass, and then silence. Not even a dial tone, just silence, as if the other line had poofed out of existence.

He sat there for a moment, taking in what he had just heard. Then he shoved his phone into his pocket and dashed out the door. "Hey!" Kaelie called. "Where are you going?" But he didn't hear her. He was already down the block, running in the direction of the highway as fast as he could.


	12. Chapter 12: Poison

Clary heard the sound of footsteps echoing down the hall outside her room. She could only imagine what Sebastian would do when he saw that she had been trying to contact Jace. He would probably beat her worse than he had this morning. Clary shuddered, remembering the blood, the broken glass, and worst of all, the fear. Every time he hit her, she felt it not only on her own skin, but inside of her. She felt the movement of her baby being jolted around as her assaulter pounded her into submission.

Time and time again, she felt the twice the agony and twice the terror than she might have felt if she hadn't been carrying a baby. _Jace's baby…_ she thought to herself. Just thinking of his name brought tears to her eyes. He had sounded so broken when she was on the phone with him, as if simply speaking to her had given him life that he had not earlier possessed. Clary rested a hand on her round belly, hoping that her little one would be kicking today. He didn't move often, but when he did he rolled around inside of her like there was no tomorrow. Which Clary supposed could be quite true considering their situation.

She had started to refer to the baby as a male, hoping that if she never got to see Jace again that she would at least have a little reminder of him in his child. As she began to shed tears on her lost soul-mates behalf, the door to her room flew open and Sebastian stepped inside. He was wearing a black t-shirt and pants, perfectly accenting his snowy white hair that was slicked back with gel. In his hand he held a long black leather whip, fully extended. Clary widened her eyes and looked up at him in terror. He smirked and took a step towards her.

Instinctively, she flinched backwards, which was clearly the reaction her twisted brother was looking for. He let out a maniacal laugh and raised the whip. "You were on the phone… I thought I made it clear what the consequences were for contacting the outside world! You're lucky I was able to disconnect the phone lines before you said anything that could hurt you. But just for good measure…"

Grinning evilly, he brought the whip down hard on Clary's back. Spots of red dotted her vision as she collapsed on the floor in anguish. She let out a small cry and screamed. Pleased with the pain he was causing his sister, Sebastian reared up and cracked the whip again, this time landing its blow on her side. "Stop!" Clary cried, flattening herself on the floor and rolling to the side. "Please…" she groaned. "You'll hurt him…"

Sebastian snarled. "So it's a bouncing baby boy, is it? So sorry I couldn't get you some blue balloons. I would have loved to know I was getting a nephew…"

Even while she was being tortured, Clary still found the energy to be stubborn. "He will never be anything to you, you vile creature! My son doesn't deserve to be put through having demon scum in his life." She spat on the ground, her saliva mixing with dark blood. Sebastian looked down at her with a knowing look on his pale face. He seemed to be plotting something, and Clary was quite sure that she didn't want to know what it was. With a toothy grin, he bent over and whispered in her ear.

He spoke with a voice full of hatred, in a tone that told Clary her life was about to take a turn for the worse. The words that fell blew through his lips were nearly inaudible, but Clary heard them loud and clear. "What if he were a demon himself?"

Small beads of sweat formed on Jace's forehead as he ran. The pavement was hard as it slammed beneath his feet, but he barely noticed it. He had his entire mind focused on one thing: getting to Clary before _they_ did. Rain started to fall from the clouded grey sky, splattering his perfect features with polluted droplets of water. The lights around him blurred as he picked up his pace. He passed cars on the highway, whizzing by before they had even registered he was next to them. Jace was normally able to run at a much greater speed than the average human being, but this was abnormally fast, even for him.

He swerved off the side of the highway and onto the empty field. There was nothing but grass and bales of hay for about a mile out, but Jace could see only the slightest flicker of light in the distance. It was a small hope, but it was enough. Pushing himself to go faster than he had ever dared try, Jace rocketed towards the approaching glow. It was definitely a house, he could tell now by the way its form blocked out the moonlight, casting eerie shadows over the plains that stretched around him. He cleared the distance between himself and the structure within seconds, bursting through the door and into the empty front room.

Skidding to a halt, Jace paused and looked around the room. It was similar to any average living space in a normal house. There was a dining table on the far right, the places set with china plates and silverware. The sitting area consisted of two plaid armchairs and a matching couch, all angled towards a retro television in the corner. There was a Persian rug in the middle of the room covered in intricate patterns swirling all around. To his right, Jace saw a door, presumably leading to the kitchen, and a staircase. He decided his best bet was on the stairs, and silently set off towards them.

The floorboards creaked as he moved through the old house, and he cursed himself for not having drawn a silence rune before he came. There was no time now, of course. If he still had any hope of getting to Clary, he would have to pick up his pace. He crept up the stairs, careful to keep his weight equal as not to upset the creaky wood again. Successfully making it up the stairs without making a noise, Jace peered around the upper level. It was a small landing surrounded by brown oak wood doors, and there were two small candelabras lighting the hallway in a dim glow. About to try the first door, Jace heard voices. They were hushed and low, but he was certain that they were coming from the other side of the landing.

Light on his feet, Jace treaded to the other side of the room, tuning into the voices. That was when he head Clary scream. He was certain that it was her; no one else shattered his heart like that when crying out. Leaping to his feet, the golden haired boy rushed over to the door not caring if he was heard. This was Clary, and she was in danger. He drew out hi seraph blade, and it lit up in his hands as he whispered the name of the angel _Nakir._ As he was about to open the door, the crack of a whip sounded through the air, and Clary cried out. What was going on in there? Jace took a moment to listen and analyse the situation. The voiced were once again hushed whispers. Jace began to grow worried that they were gone when he heard clary gasp. _That's the last straw…_ he thought, kicking down the door and pointing his blade forward.

The first thing he saw was Clary. She was huddled on the ground in the corner of the room, surrounded by a pool of blood. Jace hoped it wasn't her own, but this was shattered by the realization that there were long slashes on her back, probably from the whip he had heard before. The second thing he saw was Sebastian, perched above Clary in an aggressive stance. There was a syringe in his hand, a dark liquid oozing out of the tip. Jace's nose wrinkled in disgust. It was ichor, the black blood of demons. The same blood that flowed through the white haired boys veins that very moment. To make matters worse, Sebastian was pointing the needle at Clary's heart, his intention to inject her evident in both his posture and expression. He turned slowly to face Jace, his expression darkening in rage as he did.

"How did you find us?" he growled, surprise hovering on the edge of his voice. His eyes flickered to Clary, who was supressing a smile underneath her frightened expression. "I suppose the wench called you, did she? I should have known you couldn't keep your mouth shut." He raised the whip, which he still held in his right hand, to strike Clary again. He brought it down hard as Jace jumped towards her, coming short by only a foot. It cracked against her skin, causing her eyes to widen and her voice to break as she screamed. The whip left a bloody gash in her skin, and Clary whimpered in agony. Jace's heart fractured at the noise, and he kicked Sebastian right in the gut.

Not having expected this, he staggered backward and fell onto the bed, clutching his stomach. Taking advantage of this moment of weakness, Jace rushed to Clary's side, resting a hand on her face. "I'll take care of you in a second, I promise." She nodded, but didn't look reassured in the least. In fact, to Jace's shock, she shrank back further against the wall as he tried to approach her, as if his very presence terrified her. Still puzzled at her behaviour, Jace turned back just as Sebastian launched himself forward.

Knocking Jace to the ground, he pulled a silver dagger from his black belt. Sebastian pulled his arm back, ready to deliver the blow, but Jace was too quick. He rolled out from underneath his attacker and tackled him to the ground, pinning his shoulders. Sebastian bared his teeth menacingly. He spat into Jace's face, and in the few seconds it took him to blink it away, Sebastian had wriggled away and was back on his feet. Jace himself was fast, but with Sebastian having demon blood in his veins, he was bound to be even faster. With a swift swipe of the knife, he slit Jace's arm, forming a bloody gash. Jace cried in pain, but didn't stop fighting. If he had learned one thing in his training, it was to never stop moving, or you would probably die. And Jace Light wood was _not_ ready to die.

Gripping his seraph blade, Jace fell to his knees, his head in his hands. Sebastian frowned, perplexed by the surrender of his opponent. He stood there for a moment, contemplating whether to kill him or ask him what was wrong with him. It was exactly in these seconds of hesitation that Jace leapt to his feet and drove his blade directly into Sebastian's chest, sending him doubled over onto the floor. He grasped his stomach, his breaths already becoming laboured. He was dying, but this wasn't enough for Jace. He picked the fatally wounded Sebastian and flung him out the window. He watched as the body fell three stories to the ground and landed with a thud. Satisfied, Jace turned to speak to Clary, but she was gone.

There was still blood in the corner where she had been, but the syringe was gone. The door to the bedroom was still open, and there were red footprints leading out into the hall. "Damn it Clary!" Jace sighed, sprinting out into the landing. He flew down the stairs, his feet barely touching the floor, and touched down soundlessly. This angel blood thing really added to his grace and elegance in movement. Looking up, he saw Clary in the centre of the room, the syringe pointed directly at her heart. If she stabbed herself, the demon poison would go straight into her system, and would probably kill her within minutes. "Clary, no!" he shouted; only he was too late. He could only watch as the girl he loved took the needle that would end her life, and plunged it towards her chest.


	13. Chapter 13: Déjà Vu

**(A/N): Alright guys, sorry for the long wait! **

**I was stumped after reading your reviews, seeing as I might have screwed up with my words, causing you guys to think something happened that really didn't. But you know what? Stuff happens, and we've all got to roll with the punched. So I re-wrote this chapter to fit with the part that you guys thought, and here it is! **

**Enjoy amigos!**

There was a point between the thrust of the needle and its connection with Clary's chest when Jace thought of his mother. Hadn't her death happened the same way, with a blade to the heart and the intention of ending her own life? Even though Jace had never known the woman that had been his mother, he felt strongly about her decisions, and not in the most positive way. She had almost killed him, after all, and not even for a good cause. Celine Herondale had taken her own life because she was sad, for the sake of self-pity and nothing else. Jace had always thought suicide was selfish, and that he would never let himself get close to someone who would even think of doing something so stupid. Now, he was beginning to doubt his choices. His mother had done it. The love of his life was about to do it. He was seriously considering it himself after the recent events. There was only one thing that stopped him from spiraling into an inescapable pit of depression, and that thing was about to destroy herself right in front of Jace's own eyes.

He had only split seconds left to act before the syringe would plunge into her heart and cease its beating forever. To a normal human being, this may have been an impossible feat. Even for Jace this was pushing the limit. But he had to do it, if not for himself then for his child. Jace kicked off the ground and rocketed towards Clary, wrapping his arms around her and knocking her to the ground. She let out a strangled gasp as he pushed her over. At first, Jace thought he had been too late. Clary's face was pale white, and she lay motionless on the ground beneath him. But as he listened closer, he heard the faint beating of her heart in the otherwise dead silence of the old house. Turning to his left, Jace spotted the syringe inches away from Clary's fragile hand. He kicked it aside, not wanting her to make a grab for it again.

Clary squirmed for a moment as if to try and escape his hold. Jace was taken aback by this, as she was usually very happy to lie with him no matter what the circumstance. "Clary, it's okay. You're safe." She shook her head, and he saw the tears that were streaming down her freckled cheeks. "No!" she cried. "It's not okay, Jace! Don't you see? We have to destroy it! It's a demon _thing_; Sebastian has made sure of that." She was hysterical, writhing beneath him to try and retrieve the needle. Her words made no sense. What was she talking about? "Clary, I don't know what you mean… there's nothing around here that's demonic, well except for Sebastian, but he's-"

The pieces clicked together in Jace's head, causing him to stop mid-sentence. Everything made sense now; Sebastian hovering over Clary with a needle, the horrified look on her face when he arrived, and her attempt to stab herself with the blade. All of this had been because she thought her baby was half demon. Completely against Clary's assumptions, Jace burst into laughter, letting her bear his full weight as he collapsed on top of her. "Jace!" she yelled, trying to push him off of her. "This is not funny! We have to kill it before it can be born!"

Against her pleas, Jace continued to laugh to the point where tears trickled down his golden face. Once he had calmed himself and was back under control, he looked down into Clary's luminous green eyes and whispered "You think the baby's a mini Sebastian, don't you?" Clary scoffed. "No, I _know _it's a mini Sebastian. He told me himself. And be serious Jace. We have to get rid of it!" The tears began to well in her eyes again as she registered the hurt in Jace's expression. He turned away from her, sitting up slightly and releasing her from beneath him. Before she could grab for the syringe, however, he snatched it up and shoved it in his back pocket, promptly sitting on it for good measure. He shook his head. "You are so stubborn, you know that Clary?"

"Name of the Angel, Jace. I'm telling you that we have to do our duty to kill this demon spawn, you're refusing, and you're going to call _me _the stubborn one?" Jace nodded smugly and propped himself up against the wall. He opened his arms, beckoning Clary to him, but she stayed in place, crossing her arms over her bruised chest. Accepting that she was not going to submit to any interaction with him before he explained things, Jace sighed and threw up his hands. "Fine." He said, exasperated. "If I really must tell you, there is no possible way that this baby is a demon." Clary opened her mouth to object, but Jace held up a silencing finger. "I know what you might think, but I have my reasons. Angels and demons are opposite, enemies if I may. If there blood were to mix, it would cause a reaction of instant death to whoever consumed it. And since we have Angel blood in out veins…"

Jace trailed off, allowing his girlfriend to finish the thought herself. After a second of contemplation, Clary raised her head and looked at him. "So, what you're saying is that if Sebastian _had _injected me with demon blood, I'd be dead?" Jace nodded, triumph pulling his features into a wide grin. Clary felt first relieved, and then horrified. "So if I would have injected myself…"

Jace's eyes softened. He had clearly known the effects of her decision better than she had. She cringed back at the thought of what must have been going through his mind: that she was being selfish, leaving him alone in the world. She couldn't bear to think of what Jace might have perceived her as had she gone through with her action. Shuddering, she scooted along the hardwood floor and into Jace's arms. He gratefully pulled her to him and nestled his face into the crook of her neck. To him, she smelled like cotton and shampoo, just the way he liked it. "You know," Clary said, mischief playing on the edge of her tone, "I think there's something you haven't done yet."

Perplexed, Jace whispered into her skin. "And what might that be?" Clary shifted around so that she was facing Jace with her legs wrapped around his waist. He smiled, and she patted her belly, which was slightly larger than it had been a couple months earlier. "You haven't felt the baby kick yet. For someone so young, he moves quite a bit." Jace's eyes widened. He still hadn't gotten quite used to the fact that the baby was some living person, and he was a little shocked that it moved. Still, he was filled with anticipation at feeling his own child, so he nodded and eagerly held out his hand for her to take. She beamed and placed it on her stomach, covering his tanned and calloused hand with her smooth pale one. Jace closed his eyes and waited.

At first there was nothing but the slow and steady beat of Clary's heart. He could feel it pulsing through her skin, slightly accelerated with his touch. After a few moments, when Jace was certain that nothing was going to happen, he felt it, the slightest shift in the balance of her body that signified the movement of the baby. His golden eyes flew up to meet Clary's, and the exchanged a glance. Jace's was full of astonishment where Clary's was sheer pride. Neither of them had ever been so happy in their lives, knowing that the two things that they loved most in the world were safe and sound in their arms. They sat there like that for what might have been hours, just feeling the baby turning about in Clary's womb.

Soon, the redheaded girl began to fall asleep, and Jace caught her as she fell forward in exhaustion. Chuckling lightly to himself, he hoisted her up in his strong arms and carried her out the door. After a long run back to the Institute, he walked through the door of his bedroom and laid her down on his mattress. Without even the slightest hesitation, he fell in beside her. _She's so beautiful when she sleeps…_ Jace thought to himself. Resting an arm on her bare shoulder, he closed his eyes and joined her in the land of dreams.

**(A/N): Alright! Sorry for such a short little chapter, but I assure you, there will be more to come! Please review and tell people about this. **

**Also, I'm looking for a new beta to edit, preferably someone with very good spelling and grammatical skills. Also, someone who is very familiar with the characters of the mortal instruments series would be awesome! So if anyone is interested, or knows someone who might be, please PM m me and let me know! **

**Thanks a ton guys! :D**


	14. Chapter 14: Forever

**(A/N): Okay! Fluff warning! Be prepared to be assaulted with feathers and ponies and unicorns pooping out rainbows, because this chapter is very much adorable!**

**If you are one of those strange people (no offence) that wants Jace to be with anyone that's not Clary, DO NOT READ THIS!**

**Anyway, I don't have much to say, so without further ado, chapter 14!**

Clary opened her eyes only to be nearly blinded by the sunlight streaming in through the open window. It was an oddly bright July morning. The room would have been boiling hot had it not been for the newly installed air conditioning system that Isabelle had opted for earlier that month. Even though Clary was sad to see the ancient cathedral being modernized with the latest amenities, she was secretly grateful that she wouldn't have to sweat to death in the summer. Groaning from the rude awakening, she turned to Jace's side of the bed. To her dismay, he was gone, leaving in his place a folded paper note. She took it in her hand and opened it. His messy writing was scrawled across the page, curling in loops with every L, O, and P. She smiled and read his message.

_Clary,_

_I hope you don't have to read this, and that I'll be back before you wake up. I really have to say, you look very sexy when you sleep. Anyways, I'm just out for a few minutes to go pick up Alec, but I'll be back before noon. Don't miss me too much!_

_-Jace_

Clary smiled at her boyfriend's arrogance. He was so self-adoring, but then again, he did have a reason. Jace was perfect in Clary's eyes. He even had that one little chip on his tooth that stopped him from being annoyingly flawless. Clary smiled, envisioning the crooked grin that he let show at times when he wanted something. It was her favourite expression of his, and she could never seem to get enough of it.

Tired of lying in bed, Clary got up and dragged her body, still heavy with sleep, into the bathroom to take a shower. She washed her hair with Jace's shampoo, not caring whether it made her smell like a guy. She liked the way it made her smell like him. It gave her the luxury of feeling secure. After scrubbing her body with a bar of soap, Clary rinsed herself off and wrapped a towel around her chest. It was baby blue, a colour she didn't see Jace wear too often. He thought it made him seem frilly and feminine. Smiling, Clary wrung out her wet hair and stepped out of the steamy bathroom.

The bedroom was cold and unwelcoming compared to the cozy heat of the shower. Clary shivered. Suddenly, she felt arms wrap around her waist from behind. She let out a small squeak of surprise, earning a chuckle from Jace. "Nice towel." He said, although Clary knew he was probably going to make a joke about it. Not at all to her surprise, he did. "In my humble opinion," he mused, "You'd look better without it."

Clary took his joke as an opportunity to make a snarky remark. "I am _offended_ Jace Lightwood! What a completely sexist comment. You should think that I look beautiful in anything, not just naked." The sarcasm in her voice was evident, but Jace still pretended to be hurt. Sucking in a breath through his teeth, he hummed lightly in her ear, whispering "Well you, my dear Clarissa, should learn to accept a compliment when one is given." He kissed her neck lightly and scooped her up into his arms, turning her to face him. "What I was _trying _to say, before I was so rudely interrupted, is that you do not need clothes to make you beautiful, Angel." Clary couldn't help but blush. "Alright," she said, submitting. "You win."

"Don't I always?" Jace asked. He laid her down on the bed, slowly climbing on top of her to kiss her forehead. She sighed at his touch, earning a low growl from deep inside of him. Clary hadn't realized how much she had missed him over the past few months until now, when she was wrapped in his arms with his lips pressed to hers. Reluctant to ruin the moment, Clary let Jace kiss her for a few more minutes before pulling away. He groaned in disappointment, but eased up to look down at her intently. She took his face between her soft hands. It was smooth and warm beneath her light fingers. His skin contrasted brightly with its golden tan to her luminous white. Clary smiled.

"You have no idea…" she began, the tears already welling up in her eyes. She held back a sob. "You have no idea how much I missed you in the past month. Every second I spent without you was hell." Clary bit her lip, realizing how needy she sounded. She looked up at Jace nervously, only to see every single one of her emotions reflected back in his amber eyes. Clary took a deep breath and continued. "There was a moment where I honestly thought I might never see you again. The only thing keeping me alive then was the baby, and the fact that if we never found each other that I would still have him.

"But then you came to save me. You rescued me not only from Sebastian, but from myself. I think that I might have been going insane. Anyway…" she trailed off, a smile fighting its way through her ocean of sadness. "The thing is… I can't live without you. I can't imagine being somewhere and thinking that you're gone. I have no idea why, but… well… the idea of being part of a world that you're not tears me apart. I love you Jace." Her eyes hadn't left his the entire time she had been speaking, so she had seen the quiver of his lip, the twinkle in his eye. Without saying a single word, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her towards him. Neither of them said anything for a long time. The just lay there, curled up into a ball, folded into each other's arms.

It was about two hours before Jace spoke. His voice was a soft whisper in her ear, yet she heard his words as if they had been a message written on paper. "I want to be with you forever, and I don't know how much longer I can wait." Clary felt the tears spill down her cheeks. She hadn't been this happy for a long time, and she wasn't sure how long it could last. Suddenly, a conversation between the two of them sprung up in her mind, and she allowed a smile to inch across her face. "Jace, do you remember what we talked about in April? Right before we went to Luke and Jocelyn's?" She could almost sense the excitement on his face without even seeing it. "Mhm…" he mumbled. "Well," Clary said, steadying her breathing by inhaling deeply. "I'm saying the word. Ask me anytime."

There was a slight rustling behind her, and she suddenly collapsed down where Jace's body had held her up seconds earlier. Still slightly disoriented, Clary turned to look over the edge of the bed where Jace knelt. In his hand was a small velvet box about the size of her palm. It was jet black with intricate golden designs spiraling around the edges. Clary could tell by the way the lines twined around each other that the designs were love runes. Her heart skipped a beat as Jace took her hand in his. She almost laughed; this didn't seem like the way Jace Lightwood would propose to a girl. She had almost expected him to write a rap, or breakdance to the tune of the wedding song, or write a poem about how he was doing her an honour by allowing her to marry someone with beauty as extraordinary as his. But none of these were even close to accurate.

Jace was simply kneeling before her on the floor, as she had seen countless times in the movies, with a small black box in the hand that wasn't holding hers. After a moment of silence, Jace began to speak.

"You said it all, Clary. You're my other half, the better part of me. It's impossible to explain the way I feel when I'm around you, and I can only hope that you can understand because you feel the same. You're the only person that can break past those barriers that are my gorgeous, arrogant exterior." Clary laughed, causing more tears to fall past her thick lashes. "You've taken the words right out of my mouth, so there's only one thing left to say."

He opened the black box to reveal a small silver ring. It was simple, a tiny sterling band with one rune traced along its circumference. It was one Clary had seen before, and she instantly recognized it: the Angel rune. Her eyes lit up as Jace held it towards her. "Clarissa Fray, will you make my life complete and marry me?" Clary's whole body was trembling with emotion. She felt as if she were about to melt into the ground, but still managed to nod and squeak out a feeble "Yes". Beaming, Jace placed the ring on her shaky finger and leaned up to kiss her. Much to Jace's surprise, Clary flung herself at him, wrapping every expendable limb around his torso. He was thrown backward onto the bed, landing with a soft thump against the covers. They kissed, full of passion and longing. It was Jace who broke away first, although Clary could see that he was not happy about it.

"When are we-" Clary clamped her hand down on his mouth, cutting him off mid-question. "Right here, right now. No waiting." Jace widened his eyes, brushing her hand away so he could speak. "_Now_? But we need an official to do the runes, and…" The sly grin that crept across Clary's face stopped his words dead in their tracks. Clary laughed, pecking him on the cheek again. "Those are ordinary runes. Nothing in this world is strong enough to show what we feel." Jace frowned. "I don't understand." Clary reached over to her nightstand and retrieved her stele. "Don't worry…" she said. "I know exactly what to do."

**Okay then! So what did you think? Review and rate please! Also, how many of you want to see a lemon in one of the next chapters? I'd been thinking of doing one but I thought I'd ask first. Lemme know what you want to see! Thanks guys!**


	15. Chapter 15: Imposter

**(A/N): Hey guys! Sorry for the long delay, but I've started writing my own piece of original fiction! It's going to be a novel of about (if I've planned correctly) 72,000 words :D I'm pretty excited. **

**So sorry in advance for the short chapter, but it's all I've had time for! Enjoy anyways.**

Clary reached forward to trace the first rune. She already had it in her mind. It wasn't like the runes she normally drew, what with a word to represent. This was more a design reflecting her feelings. She had taken her innermost thoughts and translated them into a rune that expressed every little emotion she felt when she was with Jace. The lines in her mind curved and bounced along with the rhythm of her fluttering heart. They twisted with every flip her stomach did when she heard his voice, and straightened out with every time she looked into his eyes. The rune represented every little thing that she associated with Jace; the adrenaline, the longing, the feeling of being complete…

She was so lost in her own head that she barely noticed when Jace pulled away. She continued to lean forward, only to stop when her head hit the wall. She was jolted back into reality, looking over to where Jace stood, crouched defensively in front of the door. "Um, what are you doing?" she asked.

He turned his face to her, pressing a finger to his lips. Clary got the message. She was to be silent. Jace leaned into the door to get a better listening point. His ears perked up as he eavesdropped of the voices outside. If Clary listened hard, too, she could make out the distinct tones that she associated with Isabelle. As she recognised the second voice, Clary felt her blood run cold. Sebastian. She remembered the awful two months she had spent stuck in his house of horror; there was no way she was going to get anywhere near her brother. She shot a pleading look at Jace, who, luckily, was looking back at her. His eyes were angry, although Clary knew it was anger at Sebastian and not at her. He gritted his teeth and closed his eyes, seeming to steady himself. After a moment of regaining his composure, Jace was ready. He grabbed his dagger off of the wardrobe, planted a soft kiss on Clary's forehead, and reached for the doorknob.

He was about to exit the room when the door burst open, knocking him backwards. Clary was stunned; for a moment she couldn't see anything, blinded by the shock of the sudden movement. When she finally regained her senses, she turned to see Jace being held in a headlock by- Jace.

Clary blinked several times to make sure her eyes weren't playing tricks on her. She was certain that what she was seeing was impossible, but surely enough every time she looked again, there were two Jace's clawing and punching each other on the floor in front of her. How was it possible? She was one hundred percent positive that Jace was an only child; Celine had only been pregnant with one child. She could come up with no explanation for the doubles she saw before her. There was no way anyone could look exactly like Jace. Unless…

Suddenly, Clary made the connection. Sebastian's voice in the hall, the sudden case of the doppelganger in the room… her so called "brother" had shifted into Jace's form using his newly acquired power. Clary was surprised she hadn't thought of that sooner. Now both Jace's were battered and bloody on the floor. Suddenly aware that Jace could be in serious trouble, Clary spun around in search of a weapon. There was nothing much in the room but her stele, some clothes, Jace's pack…

Clary sprang into action and lunged for the bag. Knowing Jace, he would surely have been carrying a spare weapon or two with him. Not at all to her surprise, there were two hunting daggers and a seraph blade in the middle compartment of the backpack. She took one of the silver knives in her hand and pointed it towards the brawling men on the bloodstained carpet. "Stop!"

The Jace on the bottom stopped instantly, cocking his head to stare up at her before being knocked to the ground by his twin. _Jace…_ thought Clary. He was surely the one who cared enough to look up when she spoke. Now she would kill the other one. But if she was wrong…

No. She was positive that her Jace was the one that was pressed up against the wall fighting his lookalike off, the one that occasionally shot her a glance letting her know he was waiting. That was the man she loved. Grasping the dagger in her hand, Clary charged towards the boy that had his back to her, the boy that was surely Sebastian underneath. With one swift movement of her knife she slashed him across the back, causing him to cry out and fall to the ground. Clary shivered; he even had the same voice as Jace.

As the blond imposter sunk to the ground, Clary pounced on top of him, holding her knife to his throat. He was lying face up just so his golden eyes could bore into hers. He looked so much like the real Jace that Clary hesitated for a second. This gave him just enough time to speak. "Clary! It's me, I swear! He's behind you, look out!"

Clary didn't flinch for a second. "Bull shit." She spat. "You are _not _Jace." Her prey wriggled beneath her in protest. "Please," he said in a strangled whisper, "Give me a chance. It's really me." There was a glimmer in the corner of his eye that struck Clary as odd. It seemed to be a sliver of sadness in his steeled expression. Sebastian couldn't do that. Sebastian didn't _have_ emotions. But Jace did. Though she was sure only a moment ago that the Jace standing behind her was her own, Clary was beginning to have doubts about killing this one. What if she was wrong?

With her blade still pressed firmly to her captive's throat, she turned to the boy standing behind her. "Come over here." She said. He nodded quickly before coming to kneel at her side. "What do you need?" he asked without a trace of hesitation in his voice. Clary looked him up and down. He had the same runes as the real Jace, the same hair, the same scars... then again so did the one that struggled beneath her. Would Jace try to escape if she had him in that position, or would he trust her to know it was him?

Clary closed her eyes. "I love you." She whispered.

The voice that replied was barely audible, but she heard it loud and clear. "I love you too."

Clary brought down the blade, sinking it straight into the imposter's heart.

**(A/N): Ooooohhh suspense! Who did she kill? Which one do you think is the real Jace? Find out next time :P**

**Don't forget to review while you're here! **


	16. Chapter 16: Bliss

**(A/N): Hey guys! I know I essentially dropped off the face of the earth for a while there, but I was on a major vacation in a place with no wifi :P So here's the next chapter! It's a little fluffy, but who doesn't love some good Clace fluff? Read on!**

The Jace on the floor cried out as his own blood spurted from his chest where the knife had impaled itself. Clary flinched back, taking the blade with her; the sound was so familiar that she was almost certain she had chosen wrong. She assumed, however, that it was too late to turn back now. Her blow had connected perfectly with the golden boy's heart, and his body now lay motionless on the floor before her. In only twenty seconds his life was ended. His blond curls lay limply around his head, golden eyes closed and still. The colour had already begun to drain from his skin. There was a vast pool of blood surrounding his corpse.

Clary suddenly felt faint. There was a chance, no matter how slight, that she had killed the real Jace. She didn't think she could live with herself if she had murdered him. Resting a hand on her middle, she turned slowly to look at the remaining Jace. The only Jace. To her surprise, he was looking not at her but at the body. His hands were shaking visibly, whether in shock or fear Clary couldn't tell. His expression gave no hints either as it was completely blank.

After several moments of silence, he spoke. "How did you know it was me?"

Clary's stomach relaxed. It _was_ the real Jace. Even though Sebastian had responded when she said she loved him, she has known that he was not Jace.

"Because you trust me." She whispered, inching her body closer to Jace's. "I could tell that Sebastian was terrified that he would die. That was the only emotion that I could see on his face." When Jace didn't say anything, Clary went on. "You're not afraid to die, Jace. I think you've made that perfectly clear. If I was about to kill you, I think you probably would have let me. When Sebastian didn't trust me enough to keep silent, I knew it wasn't you."

Jace nodded like he had known all along. "I guess my masochism saved my life then, huh?"

Clary laughed out loud. That was the sarcastic Jace she knew. "I wouldn't say you're masochistic," she began, "You're just brave. Death doesn't scare you like it does most people. Now I don't know whether or not that's a good thing, but for now, let's say it is." She crept towards him on her hands and knees, coming closer and closer until her body was resting in his lap. She sighed contently and buried her face in his chest. "You know I love you, right?"

Jace nodded contently, all the discomfort from before wiped from his expression. "I know. But about those runes…" he trailed off, looking down at Clary. She gave him a quizzical look before he went on. "I think we should wait a little. You know, until he's in the ground for good." He gestured over to Sebastian who was beginning to shift back into his own form. His hair was once again silver, and there were traces of black in his false golden eyes. Clary shuddered. It was disturbing to think that this sick twisted creature was her brother.

"Yeah", she whispered, "I guess so. It might be nice to get married knowing things can't be interrupted by a half-demon wedding crasher." Jace chuckled slightly, when suddenly his expression went rigid. Clary's gaze snapped over to Sebastian, thinking Jace's reaction had to do with him, but oddly he was still motionless and dead. Turning back to Jace, she frowned and touched his knee.

"What's wrong?" Jace just shook his head. "It sounds strange to say it out loud." He turned to Clary, boring his amber eyes into her emerald ones. "Married, wedding, all of these words I never thought would apply to me." He reached down and took her right hand in his own. "When I was younger, I never thought I'd be one to get married, settle down, you know, that sort of thing. I always thought it was a restraint, a way to tell you exactly what you couldn't do now that you were essentially indebted to your partner. But now I see that that's not how it is. This is a way of saying that without you, I am incomplete. This bonding, this means that we belong to each other unconditionally."

Clary felt herself tearing up. "Wow…" her mind was becoming fuzzy as she tried to process all that he was saying. He was never emotional like this, at least not the sweet and tender kind. There wasn't even a hint of sarcasm in his voice. "I didn't know you could be that…that…adorable."

This time, Jace smirked. "Oh, so what am I now? A puppy? Does me opening up to you automatically make me something cute and cuddly?" Clary giggled and squeezed his hand. "Cute and cuddly would be an understatement." She leaned forward and their lips met; bolts of electricity sizzled through Clary's veins as she moved her mouth with his, the shapes fitting perfectly together, pieces of the same beautiful puzzle. She felt Jace's warm breath blow across her lips as he sighed. There were no words to explain how much Clary loved this feeling. The feeling of the man she loved simply being there, being happy with her, and having nothing to worry about. She figured that if there was ever a feeling of total bliss, her own personal heaven, this would be it. Before she could hang onto the moment any longer, Jace pulled back. Clary cocked her head to the side in confusion.

"What?" she asked. Jace pointed to the bloody corpse in the corner. "I don't want to kiss you with him watching. Dead or alive, he creeps me out." Clary shuddered at the sight of him once again before grimacing in agreement. "Definitely. You stay here and watch him. I'll get Maryse or someone." Jace nodded. "Don't take too long, I'd like to get the bloodstain off of my carpet sooner than later."

Clary stepped towards the door and opened it into the hall, turning to stick her tongue out at Jace before slipping into the hallway. With several wide strides of her legs, Clary picked up her pace. The Institute was enormous, and if she wanted to find someone and get back to Jace as quickly as possible, she was going to have to move fast.

**(A/N): So? What do you think? Leave a review, let me know how I've tortured you and such, and I guess if you want you can leave some stuff about the story…see you at the next chapter!**


	17. Chapter 17: Celeberation

**(A/N): Alright guys! Here's another chapter of the story! I know, it's just average, writing and plot wise, but you know, it's all I've got for ya. **

When she had found Maryse and Robert in the library, Clary had expected to be bombarded with questions. First of all, she had been gone for two months and was suddenly back, second of all, her bump was showing, and she hadn't told them the news yet, and third, she was running down the halls of the Institute while still wearing her bath towel. She had completely forgotten she was wearing it, and now that it was covered with Sebastian's blood, she had to admit she looked pretty strange.

Not at all to her surprise, they had asked plenty of questions when they saw her. To the news of her return, they reacted well. When she told them the bloody towel was from a murder, they didn't seem phased in the least. But when she brought up the news that she was pregnant with Jace's baby, she was utterly shocked at their response. Unlike Luke, they didn't burst into a white hot rage and try to rip her head off. Unlike Jocelyn, they didn't stare at her in complete disappointment and try to push her off the earth with their shame. What the Lightwood's did was beyond comprehension to Clary. They smiled.

"Oh darling!" squealed Maryse, pulling Clary into a tight, motherly hug. "I'm so happy for you! Does Jace know? No, of course he does! How about your parents? Did you tell them? I'm sure they're so proud of you! I always knew that you would be the one to talk Jace into starting a family. Oh, I'm so glad!"

Clary blinked. Why was Maryse so happy that her son's girlfriend was pregnant at seventeen? Shouldn't she be ashamed at her irresponsibility? Suddenly, Clary remembered something that her mother had told her several times before in her stories. Shadowhunters died very young, so they tended to get married and have kids young as well. Of course Maryse was happy, this was probably normal for her! She must have had Alec when she was, what, eighteen? Nineteen?

Robert patted her gently on the back, probably with such timidity as to not hurt her baby. Not that it could feel it at this stage. "Congratulations," was all he said, but the emotion was there. The wrinkles that creased his eyes and the way his lips curved up into a beaming grin was enough to tell her that he was ecstatic to have a new member of the family on its way. Clary couldn't help but smile back; this was the reaction she wanted everyone she told to have. A happy one, and one of pride and joy.

Suddenly, Maryse stiffened. "Oh! Where's Jace? We have to go congratulate him too!" Clary laughed. "I left him up in his room." Robert raised an eyebrow at the fact that Clary had been in Jace's room wearing just a towel, but Maryse was so gleeful that there was little time for speculation. Within seconds, she had both of their wrists in her grasp and was dragging them up the stairs towards Jace's room.

When she pushed open the door, Jace was sitting on the bed with his hands clasped in his lap. He looked up to Clary when she came in, his expression lighting up instantly. Just seeing him made Clary's heart flutter. She trotted over to the bed and sat down next to him. As soon as she did, she felt his arm go around her waist and wrap over her slightly enlarged belly. She took his remaining hand in her own and pulled him in for a kiss. His lips were soft, tasting of salt and blood. They lingered on hers for a moment after, desperately begging for more, but Clary knew she couldn't hold back if they went any further. She had been without Jace for nearly two and a half months, and, no matter how selfish it might seem, she needed him.

Desire aside, she pulled back to look into his disappointed eyes. For a moment she considered kissing him again to wipe the forlorn look off his face, but in the end, for both her sake and that of Jace's parents, she decided it would be better to wait for a later time when they could be alone. Giving Jace a look full of promises for the evening, she snuggled close to him and turned to Maryse and Robert.

The second she laid eyes on them, they burst into giddy excitement and began to shower Jace and Clary with congratulations. It started with statements like "We're so happy for you!" and "We're grandparents!" and finally "How far along are you?" to which Jace responded "about three months." Maryse looked surprised at the number, but then said that it probably shouldn't have come as a surprise due to Clary's newly showing bump. That was when the real celebration began.

"Can I feel it?" asked Maryse, in a way that a small child might have asked if they could hold a puppy. Clary nodded, and the dark haired woman stepped towards her with glee. Resting a well manicured hand on Clary's small bump, Maryse knelt down to get her ear closer to where the baby would be. Several moments passed with no sign of movement, when suddenly the baby shifted, and Jace's mother squealed in delight. Clary laughed out loud as the older woman jumped up and down in the center of the room. There were tears of joy running down her cheeks, and when Clary glanced over to Robert, he was staring proudly at his adopted son, who, in turn, was staring back at him with satisfaction. Clary knew that despite his arrogance, Jace loved to please his parents. After all, they had taken him in when he needed some place to stay and had treated him as their own; he had always felt like he owed it to them to be a perfect child.

When Maryse finally settled down, she pulled Jace into an affectionate bear hug. "I don't think this day could possibly get any better!" she sighed, rubbing Jace's back with her palm. Clary watched her boyfriend's lips pull into a grin as he said "Oh really? Clary and I are engaged."

And that was when Maryse toppled to the floor.

Of course Jace caught her before she hit the ground, but she was hyperventilating when she finally got back to her feet. Apparently, there was such a thing as too much good news. Eventually, after recovering to the best of her ability from the positive shock, Maryse stepped over to Clary once again.

"Can I see the ring?" Nodding for a second time, Clary held out her hand for Maryse to examine. She watched as her future mother-in-law examined the intricate runes that swirled over the ring, staring intently at the amazing engraving that must have taken hours and hours to complete.

"It's gorgeous!" she whispered in awe, "but is that the Angel rune? I thought he would have given you the family ring…"

It was Jace that replied to his mother's question. "I figured that since Isabelle or Alec would want to use the Lightwood rings, I would create my own. After all, Clary is an Angel, so she deserves to have a family ring to represent just that." He beamed over at her, and she responded with a signature blush. The red covered her whole cheeks and filled her face with a red hot glow that made her want to cover her eyes and hide. The way Jace made her feel was as if they had just met, yet had known each other since the dawn of time. Clary hoped it would stay that way forever.

After the chatter- mostly from Maryse- had calmed down, Clary remembered that there were more important tasks at hand.

"Oh, Robert!" she called out, causing the tall man to break away from his conversation with Jace and turn to face her curiously. "Hm?" he asked.

Clary pointed to the spot behind him where she had left Sebastian's body. "I killed Sebastian. You might want to clean up his body before Isabelle comes in and has a heart attack."

Robert turned around, and proceeded to shake his head in confusion.

"Clary, there's no body there."

Clary frowned and stepped over to get a better view. Sure enough, where her horrid brother's body had lain lifeless only minutes before, there was now an empty space, with not even as much as a smear of blood to indicate that he had been there earlier. Clary worriedly turned to Jace, but was disappointed when his face had the same look of confusion spread across it as she had on her own.

"It must have disappeared while we were talking…but…how?"

Clary shook her head, her hands shaking at her sides. "I don't know. But I'm sure he was dead! And there was blood all over! What happened to the blood?"

It was Robert that responded. "I see the blood."

His outstretched hand pointed to the far wall, above the window, which was wide open. Clary was certain it had been closed when they came in, and there was only one person who would have opened it. The wall above the window was covered in crimson red letters, no doubt scrawled in blood that was certainly Sebastian's. It was a lone sentence, but the five words had enough power to strike fear in the hearts of everyone standing in the room:

_I'll be back for her._

**(A/N): Oh noes! Creepy cliffhanger's for everyone! Ha ha but seriously. There will be more coming as the story draws to a close. There's going to be approximately four more chapters in part two, and then the finale will come to an end in part three, after a last five chapters. **

**Remember: If you favourite and review, I will write faster! **

**Thanks for the support guys :D**

**And P.S. I know some of you grammar Nazi's might say that Seb's sentence was six words, but I'm counting "I'll" as one word. So thank you for your 'help', but I'll pass on the suggestion.**


	18. UPDATE

Hey guys, just a quick update for In Bloom.

As you might not know, I have a lot to work on right now. I have three writing projects and two filmmaking projects, and it's one heck of a lot to do. So due to lack of time, inspiration, and writing skill, In Bloom is going on hiatus until further notice.

If you have a question, PM me.

That is all. Thanks.

-Erin 3


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